Rep. Foster Issues Statement on Vote Against Continuing Resolution

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 -- Rep. Bill Foster, D-Illinois, issued the following statement on the vote against the continuing resolution:

"This resolution is yet another last minute stopgap measure that fails to provide solutions that hardworking Americans need from the people who represent them. We still have a long list of priorities to resolve. Congress has not voted on the DREAM Act to allow individuals who were brought to the United States through no fault of their own to stay in the country.

"We need to provide funding to combat the opioid and heroin crisis, and we need to stabilize health care marketplaces so that premiums do not skyrocket. We also need an immediate reauthorization of Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding for the millions of children who rely on the program for health insurance, including nearly 326,000 children in Illinois.

"I am disappointed we did not use the last two months of the previous continuing resolution to find solutions to these issues and represent the interests of hardworking Americans. Rather than engaging in serious bipartisan discussions, Republicans worked behind closed doors on their tax plan that would harm the middle class and pass on debt to the next generation, and they tried yet again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a move that would take away health care from millions of Americans. The public deserves better."