Arrington Statement on Government Funding Bill

Washington, D.C. - Today,House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) issued the following statement in response to House passage of H.R. 9747, which funds the government until December 20th:

"The American people gave us a Republican majority in the House with the expectation we would use the power of the purse to hold Democrats accountable and change the trajectory of our country by addressing the imminent threats of our wide-open border, unbridled spending, and unchecked election fraud. It is deeply disappointing to have missed these important opportunities and fallen short on our commitments.

"After a final effort to pair theSafeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act with government funding - pressuring Senate Democrats to prevent illegal immigrants from voting or at least put them on record for refusing to do so - the measure failed with only three Democrats in support and fourteen Republicans in opposition.

"Now, we are forced to make a choice. We can either allow a government shutdown with nothing to show for it, which will undoubtedly be blamed on Republicans, adversely affect President Trump's electoral success, and open us up to being jammed by the Senate with a bigger spending package; or, we can freeze spending and push back the final funding decision to December when President-elect Trump gives us a better chance to secure the border, safeguard our elections, and stop the reckless spending.

"That's why I'm choosing to provide President Trump with the runway he needs over the next 40 days to secure victory in November, help us get a much better deal in December, and fight to Make America Great Again over the next four years."

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