Statement from Congressman Denny Heck About Short-Term Legislation to Fund the Federal Government Through February 16

Statement

Following the House passage of a continuing resolution to fund the federal government for less than a month, U.S. Representative Denny Heck (WA-10) released the following statement:

"I opposed the continuing resolution brought to the House floor today for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it is not in our national security interest to fund the government for only weeks at a time. Our military needs to plan strategically over the long-term and they need the certainty a full year appropriations bill provides. We absolutely must get better at agreeing on a budget on an annual basis.

"The current short-term continuing resolution includes language to authorize intelligence funds in a way that negates important provisions of law, provisions which demand strict handling of intelligence funding by Congress and ensure oversight of the operations of intelligence agencies, including potentially covert operations. As many can imagine, the work of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is imperative, and I cannot vote for something that could in any way nullify its role in overseeing our national security policies.

"Moving forward, let's work together to fund our government in a responsible way, ensure the sustainability of the Children's Health Insurance Program, pass the DREAM Act, and address this nation's opioid epidemic."

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