Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Need For Bipartisan Cooperation In Both Chambers To Avoid A Harmful And Unnecessary Government Shutdown

Washington, D.C. - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor to urge his Republican colleagues in the House to set aside the partisan CR proposal that would hamstring our national defense, weaken our border security, and hurt our veterans and farmers, and to instead work with Democrats on bipartisan legislation to avoid a government shutdown. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

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. Fortunately, in this body at least, the Democratic and Republican appropriators have a very good track record of working together.

In a divided government, the only way Congress has been able to pass CRs is through bipartisan cooperation. We've seen that again and again and again these last two years.

Unfortunately, House Republicans have regrettably forgotten that lesson. About a week ago, they introduced a six-month CR that, from the first, proved to be unserious, partisan, and insufficient.

And given what's happened in the House in the last few days, it is becoming clearer and clearer that only a bipartisan solution will work. We've 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 and 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, 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, that is no way to govern. You can't run a military with a six-month funding patch like House Republican leaders propose. It would slow down everything - insufficient resources for recruitment and troop pay increases and research. This six-month CR would hurt the awarding of new military contracts and cause immense uncertainty and cost increases for the old ones.

So, I urge Speaker Johnson to set aside this CR proposal and try again. We've already lost one week in this three-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've done before.

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