Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Urging Speaker Johnson To Work On A Bipartisan Basis To Avoid A Harmful Government Shutdown

Washington, D.C. - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor about the need to pass a bipartisan CR and keep the government funded and avoid a government shutdown.. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

The clock is ticking for Congress to reach an agreement to keep the government open beyond the September 30^th deadline. That's 13 days away.

At this point in the process, the only way we can prevent a harmful government shutdown is by both sides working together to reach a bipartisan agreement. That's the only way.

Speaker Johnson is reportedly going to hold a vote on his six-month CR tomorrow, but the only thing that will accomplish is make clear that he's running into a dead end - we must have a bipartisan - a bipartisan - plan instead.

Now, I will say this: for all its faults, I am heartened that Speaker Johnson's plan preserves the essence of the Schumer-Johnson agreement that set topline funding levels for FY2024. It's encouraging to see that Speaker Johnson, at least for now, is resisting the hard-right voices in his party and not pushing for across-the-board cuts that would be so harmful to the American people.

I hope it's a sign that the Speaker realizes that these bipartisan funding levels must be part of any solution moving forward. But beyond that, the Speaker's CR is too unworkable.

I urge him to drop his current plan, and to work together to reach a bipartisan agreement with the other leaders - Leader McConnell, Leader Jeffries, and myself, as well as the White House. We do not have time to spare.

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