Rep. Slaughter: Republicans Continue to Ignore Urgent National Priorities With Fourth Short-Term Spending Bill

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-New York, issued the following news release:

On the House Floor today, Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter (NY-25) denounced Republican Congressional leaders for failing to take action on urgent national priorities as the House considers its fourth short-term spending deal since the end of the prior fiscal year in September. Slaughter called out the Majority for failing to pass a long-term spending deal and take action on issues like protecting DREAMers, providing disaster relief, reauthorizing Community Health Centers, and addressing veterans' health care despite bipartisan consensus on the need to act on those issues.

"Much like the proposals before it, this continuing resolution is not the product of bipartisan negotiations. It was written solely by the Majority without a single Democratic fingerprint anywhere on the bill. We were not asked for our input when it was written in a back room. But since its public release just hours ago, the Majority has been asking for our support. But that's not how this works," said Slaughter. "This continuing resolution turns a blind eye to victims who are still in desperate need of help in the wake of some of the worst hurricanes, mudslides, and wildfires our nation has ever experienced. And to 700,000 DREAMers who remain at risk of being deported following President Trump's misguided decision to end DACA. It also fails to take any action on bipartisan priorities like the pension crisis, veterans' health care, and Community Health Centers."

"We are marching toward another government shutdown. And the American people and the world are once again forced to wonder whether the greatest superpower on the planet can keep the lights on. This is no way to run the government of the United States," continued Slaughter.

Slaughter's full remarks, as prepared for delivery, are included below:

This chamber finds itself in much the same position it was in on September 8th. And December 7th. And December 21st.

That's rushing to consider another one of the Majority's short-term continuing resolutions with just days to spare until the great government of the United States closes for business.

Their latest proposal, which is the fourth continuing resolution since the end of the last fiscal year in September, would run through February 16th.

And if past is prologue, we could very well find ourselves right back here then to consider yet another short-term spending bill as the Majority goes from one self-imposed crisis to the next. And much like the proposals before it, this continuing resolution is not the product of bipartisan negotiations.

It was written solely by the Majority without a single Democratic fingerprint anywhere on the bill.

We were not asked for our input when it was written in a back room. But since its public release just hours ago, the Majority has been asking for our support. But that's not how this works.

The Majority cannot craft this bill solely among itself, fail to address matters that we all agree we need to take action on, and then criticize us for not supporting this partisan proposal.

This stop-gap measure continues to chip away at the Affordable Care Act by targeting some key funding mechanisms under the law. Since the Majority has waived the rules requiring these provisions to be paid-for, they amount to a massive tax cut for the health insurance industry. This comes on the heels of the Majority's tax cut for the wealthy and corporations, which represents the largest transfer of wealth from working families to the wealthy that our nation has ever seen.

That is a bill that made tax cuts for corporations permanent. The continuing resolution before us today includes only a temporary reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health care to more than 9 million children across the nation. That is despite the fact that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently found that permanently reauthorizing this program would save the government $6 billion over the next decade.

M. /Speaker, why has the Majority given permanent tax cuts to corporations but it is unwilling to give permanency to children in need of health care?

The Majority believes a temporary reprieve on CHIP will force us to vote for this misguided plan. But what about Community Health Centers? What about improving health care for our veterans?

This continuing resolution turns a blind eye to victims who are still in desperate need of help in the wake of some of the worst hurricanes, mudslides, and wildfires our nation has ever experienced.

And to 700,000 DREAMers who remain at risk of being deported following President Trump's misguided decision to end DACA. It also fails to take any action on bipartisan priorities like the pension crisis, veterans' health care, and Community Health Centers.

What has the Majority prioritized instead of crafting a long-term spending bill that deals with these urgent issues? Ideological crusades like undermining financial reform laws and attacking women's health.

A separate bill on the floor today, H.R. 2954, would weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's ability to respond to problematic trends in the mortgage market.

Another measure that will be considered this week, H.R. 4712, tries to shame and scare doctors out of providing constitutionally-protected abortion services.

All the while, the Majority has been ignoring the elephant in the room.

We are marching toward another government shutdown.

And the American people and the world are once again forced to wonder whether the greatest superpower on the planet can keep the lights on. This is no way to run the government of the United States.