Patrick Leahy: “I had just spoken about this, but it is imperative that we take up and pass H.R. 6617; that is the Further Additional…”

“I had just spoken about this, but it is imperative that we take up and pass H.R. 6617; that is the Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act. Of course, we call it the CR. I say this because the bill will keep the Federal Government funded and fully operating through March 11, while we work out and are working out the details of full-year appropriations bills to meet the needs of the American people. And I want to compliment the Appropriations Committee staff who have been meeting with me and others weekends, evenings, for weeks and months now, actually, to get this done. In a few moments we will vote to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the continuing resolution. As chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I strongly urge all Members, Republicans and Democrats alike, to vote aye. A government shutdown would be useless, senseless. Imagine how that would look to the Russians? I am pleased to report that last week the four corners of the Senate House Appropriations Committee reached a framework agreement that will allow us to negotiate an omnibus appropriations bill. And that framework was the result of weeks of careful negotiations between myself, Vice Chairman Shelby, Chair DeLauro and Ranking Member Granger, and I want to thank them. I especially want to thank all their staffs who worked late nights and weekends that it took us to get to this point.…”