The Shadow
WASHINGTON (VR) – U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after the Senate approved a stopgap funding bill to fund some parts of the government through March 8 and others through March 22. This bill will keep the government open by reauthorizing spending at Fiscal Year 2023 levels.
“Passing a stopgap funding bill is undoubtedly better than shutting down the government, but what would be really great is if Congress could pass a real spending bill, as it was supposed to do back in September. It’s especially frustrating that we are in this position since a bipartisan agreement was reached last spring on spending levels, before House Republicans went back on their word and repeatedly threatened shutdowns over extreme policy positions. But we are encouraged to see negotiators announce a deal on a first group of spending bills, which we hope will be released and brought up for a vote very soon. We will continue working with our colleagues to encourage a bipartisan agreement on a second set of bills before the end of the month so that we can finally fund the government for Fiscal Year 2024.”
This legislation marks the fourth time that Congress has punted its responsibility to deliver a spending bill for Fiscal Year 2024, having passed continuing resolutions on September 30, November 17, and January 18.
