[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 142 (Thursday, September 12, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6005-S6006]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           Government Funding

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now before the month is out, both parties 
in both Chambers must unite on the most important goal of this work 
period: keeping the government open with a temporary extension of 
Federal funding. A continuing resolution, as we all know, is not a 
substitute for the appropriations process, but, rather, a tool to give 
us more time for the appropriators to do their work. And, fortunately--
in this body at least--Democratic and Republican appropriators have a 
very good track record of working together.
  In divided government, the only way Congress has been able to pass 
CRs is through bipartisan cooperation. We have seen that again and 
again and again these last 2 years.
  Unfortunately, House Republicans have regrettably forgotten that 
lesson. About a week ago, they introduced a 6-month CR that, from the 
first, proved to be unserious, partisan, and insufficient. And given 
what has happened in the House in the last few days, it is becoming 
clearer and clearer that only a bipartisan solution will work. We have 
been saying this all along, but the events of the past few days even 
further confirm just how much it is true.
  A real proposal for avoiding a shutdown would be the one that both 
sides write together, but House Republicans wrote their CR behind 
closed doors, without any input from the Democratic leader in the 
House, the President, myself, or any of the Democratic appropriators. A 
real proposal for avoiding a shutdown would avoid poison pills, but 
House Republicans wrote their CR with poison pills front and center. 
They know perfectly well this approach doesn't work.
  A real proposal for avoiding a shutdown is one that doesn't hamstring 
our national defense, doesn't weaken our border security, and doesn't 
hurt our veterans and farmers and so many others. And instead of a 
short-term extension of the deadline, the House Republicans released a 
bill that kicks the can down the road for half a year.
  That is no way to govern; particularly on military affairs, it is no 
way to govern. You can't run a military with a 6-month funding patch 
like House Republicans' leader proposed. It would slow down everything: 
insufficient resources for recruitment and troop pay increases and 
research. This 6-month CR would hurt the awarding of

[[Page S6006]]

new military contracts and cause immediate and immense uncertainty and 
cost increases for the old ones.
  So I urge Speaker Johnson to set aside this CR proposal and try 
again. We have already lost 1 week in this 3-week work period. We all 
know what we need to do if we want to ensure the government does not 
shut down: We need a bipartisan bill, a temporary extension. The 
Democratic leader in the House and I are ready and willing to work with 
the Speaker, as we have done before.