On Wednesday, Congress passed H.R. 9747, which is a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through December to avoid a partial government shutdown ahead of the November General Election. Congress had failed again to meet its fiscal year deadline to set the budget.
While the resolution passed both the House and Senate by wide margins, it did split the vote of Oklahoma’s Congressional Delegation. Even as some voted for the stop gap funding bill, they did so with some distain and warnings of fiscal mismanagement.
In the House, Congresswoman Stephanie Bice, Congressman Tom Cole, Congressman Kevin Hern, and Conngressman Frank Lucas voted for H.R. 9747. Congressman Josh Brecheen voted against it.
Over in the Senate, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin also voted against the measure. U.S. Senator James Lankford voted for the bill, but added that Congress needs to be more fiscally responsible.
“Today I voted to support a Continuing Resolution to keep the government operating. This provides certainty for our military, veterans, law enforcement, border personnel, and others who rely on the continuity of essential services. However, we cannot continue down this path. This marks yet another year in which we are voting on stopgap measures rather than doing the serious work of passing appropriations bills.
“Majority Leader Schumer has not brought a single appropriations bill to the Senate floor. This failure is deeply concerning. Our national debt continues to grow, and runaway spending remains unchecked because we aren’t taking the time to engage in real debate over how to responsibly manage taxpayer dollars.
“While avoiding a government shutdown is critical, it is equally important that we do the hard work of governing. Congress must get back to passing individual appropriations bills to address both the immediate needs of the nation and plan for the future. Kicking the can down the road is not a plan—it’s just hoping nobody notices the mess. Oklahomans deserve better than the uncertainty of last-minute CRs, and I will continue to push for regular order in the Senate,” said Lankford in a statement after the Senate took the vote.
Mullin also blamed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for not brining the appropriations bills up for a vote.
“I’m a no on this CR, because the Senate had every opportunity to fund the government through regular order, but instead, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer willfully abandoned his responsibility and refused to bring appropriations bills to the floor. Unlike Oklahoma’s state government, Washington’s fiscal house is broken, and its far past time Congress makes getting our fiscal house in order the top priority,” Mullin said.
Brecheen believes the national debt is out of control because Congress cannot get its act together.
“This Continuing Resolution (CR) maintains heightened government spending that must be reduced given our current $2 trillion annual deficits. I could not vote for this given we are more than $35 trillion in debt and this continues our trajectory towards a sovereign debt crisis,” said Brecheen.
Cole, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said that the vote for the continuing resolution was necessary.
“Although governing by continuing resolution is not ideal, it is far better than the alternative. A full government shutdown would cause undue, harmful disruptions to our national security and vital programs that constituents in Oklahoma’s Fourth District rely on. On top of that, a shutdown would cost the American taxpayers billions due to back-paid furloughed workers, increased costs from delayed starts, and constrained economic growth. All of this makes it clear – a government shutdown is not the answer. On the contrary, this continuing resolution is a win for Republicans, as it ensures the government will continue to serve the American people and, better yet, it ensures the American people – and more importantly the next president – have a say in the appropriations process,” said Cole.
Bice felt the resolution is the only option Congress had and blamed Schumer for the problems around appropriations bills.
“While this CR is imperfect and not what I preferred, it was the only option left. I could not in good conscience vote to shut the government down, which would have damaging effects on our community, our military, and our border patrol agents.
“The true disservice is that Senator Schumer and Senate Democrats refuse to bring any meaningful piece of legislation for a vote. The House has passed numerous appropriations bills, encompassing over 70% of government funding, while also working to secure our border and our elections. The Senate has done nothing but Judicial nominations,” said Bice.
