Senate Clears Hurdle to Avoid Government Shutdown
Murkowski Votes for Short-Term Spending Bill
Today Senator Murkowski shared her thoughts after voting for the continuing resolution (H.R. 719) that passed the Senate, 78-20:
“Today I’m pleased that my Senate colleagues and I have passed a 10-week continuing resolution to fund the government through December 11.
“I was troubled that a government shutdown was even being considered as an option, causing great economic hardship and further eroding the diminishing trust Alaskans and the American people have in Washington. It so important that we avoided a shutdown for our nation, for the more than 15,000 Alaskans that are federal employees, and for the countless individuals who use government services.
“While this is only a short-term extension to fund the government, I look forward to reaching a long-term solution. And I believe we can get there.
“This year, for the first time since 2009, Congress has adopted a budget resolution and the Senate Appropriations Committee has successfully completed work on all 12 spending bills to make them available for consideration by the full Senate. As Chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, I can attest that fulfilling this fundamental responsibility has been the result of hard work, determination, and bipartisanship. I am hopeful that we will find a path forward to completion of all the appropriations bills and avoid a year-long continuing resolution which simply puts funding the government on auto-pilot based on last year’s budget priorities.”
