WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees, voted on Friday to responsibly avert a government shutdown, supporting a measure that would continue existing funding levels for the federal government for a period of two months. It is now up to the House of Representatives to pass a similar “clean” continuing resolution in order to prevent a shutdown on Monday night.
“Shutting down the federal government, furloughing as many as 800,000 federal employees, and denying Americans access to the basic federal services due them is not a responsible way to resolve our nation’s political disagreements. Our democracy cannot function if the minority party threatens to shut down the government unless it gets its way. The Affordable Care Act is law. It was debated in Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court. It has already helped improve the health care coverage of tens of millions of Americans, and will soon expand access to affordable care for millions more. The Affordable Care Act should be amended to help it run more efficiently, but it should not be repealed. While I would much rather be voting on the traditional spending bills we crafted in the Appropriations Committee, I voted for the continuing resolution today because it responsibly keeps our government functioning and our nation moving forward. There are times for vigorous debate, but there are also times when we must come together and put our personal political agendas aside for the good of the country. That’s what Delawareans expect and deserve.”
Senator Coons spoke on the Senate floor on Wednesday to implore his colleagues not to shut down the government, but instead to focus on manufacturing jobs. You can read and watch his speech here: http://1.usa.gov/174iOlS