Patrick Leahy: “it is my hope that soon the Senate might be able to vote on a bipartisan agreement to keep the government open and…”

“it is my hope that soon the Senate might be able to vote on a bipartisan agreement to keep the government open and funded through February 18. I know both parties are working on that agreement right now. I wish those who are doing it good luck. I have certainly been working hard with the Appropriations Committee to help on that as have others. In fact, the only thing worse than running the government under a continuing resolution, a CR, is a government shutdown. A shutdown only hurts the American people. We know last time we had one, it wasted billions in taxpayer dollars. And with the agreement that I anticipate, I am glad that the bill will include critical funding to support Afghan refugees as we help them get resettled here in the United States. These brave women and men were our allies through 20 years of war. We have an obligation to support them as they begin their new lives. I am not giving this speech as some kind of a victory lap. We are 2 months into the fiscal year, and we appear no closer to getting an agreement on full-year appropriations bills. Now, if we vote on this, which I hope we will soon, we are buying time to complete these negotiations, and we have to complete these negotiations. It is not a matter of whether we should; we have to. But in order to complete these negotiations, we have to begin them. We have to have both sides represented at the table. My Republican colleagues, to this day, have not come to the table.…”