Appropriations

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, my colleagues are well familiar with my repeated calls for bipartisan progress in funding the Federal Government. For more than 2 months, as the appropriations process idled at partisan roadblocks, I pointed out just how straightforward this entire process could have been. With the road map negotiated in July by the President and the Speaker, and approved by each of the congressional leaders, we had the necessary commitments to move forward in good faith and avoid partisan riders that would stall the entire effort, but, of course, that didn't happen.

But failing to secure funding for the Federal Government before the end of the year is not an option. Chairman Shelby continues to lead efforts to settle on subcommittee allocations that can earn bipartisan support. Today, these efforts are ongoing, and with our deadline to prevent a funding lapse rapidly approaching, I am encouraged that the House will apparently be voting today on a continuing resolution to keep the Government funded until December 20, while talks continue. These talks must continue because it is vital that we work in good faith to fund important priorities for the coming year, but what is needed in the near term is to keep the Government open for the next several weeks while this work goes on.

This is not rocket science. The House needs to send us the short-term funding bill which the Senate can pass and which the President will sign. That is the way to keep the government open while our important discussions continue to make progress toward closing out the appropriations process and getting full-year bills to the floor.

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