Velázquez’s Statement on House Passage of Continuing Resolution to Avert Government Shutdown

Washington, D.C.— Today, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released this statement following House passage of a continuing resolution to fund the government for 45 days:
 
       “For months, Speaker McCarthy has sought to appease the extreme wing of his caucus by pushing for a budget filled with cruel and unworkable cuts to vital government programs. As MAGA Republicans pushed our nation to the brink of a government shutdown that would devastate the American people, Speaker McCarthy continued to play partisan games yesterday by proposing a continuing resolution that cut health care, housing, childcare, and Social Security.
 
       “Through all these political stunts, Democrats have held firm on our commitment to safeguard the programs Americans rely on from the Republican’s extremist agenda. From the beginning, we’ve been clear that these proposed budget cuts were unacceptable, and nothing less than a clean continuing resolution would suffice. This morning, Speaker McCarthy finally chose to face reality by bringing a continuing resolution to fund the government at FY23 levels. But even then, the Speaker could not organize his party around this reasonable position, so Democrats stepped up to pass this resolution and keep the government open
 
       “This episode has made it clear that Republicans cannot govern. Though a shutdown has been avoided for now, we will likely face the same predicament if Republicans continue to allow their most extreme members to drive the appropriations process. After Congress and the President reached a deal on the federal budget just a few months ago, Republicans have walked away from that deal to score political points. Speaker McCarthy must honor the deal he made so we can finally put the potential pain of a shutdown behind us.”
 

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