Patty Murray: “I am out here again today to urge the Senate to pass the bipartisan joint funding resolution that is before us. It is…”

“I am out here again today to urge the Senate to pass the bipartisan joint funding resolution that is before us. It is H.J. Res. 20. As I mentioned yesterday evening when I was out here on the Senate floor, President Bush's Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters, testified before us last week that we will see "drastic consequences" if we fail to pass this funding resolution that is now in front of us. We are going to see painful cuts to aviation safety, highway safety, and highway construction. I also can tell my colleagues we will see painful and unnecessary cuts in housing, law enforcement, and veterans health care. I want to make sure every Senator understands the importance of the vote we are going to have and understands the difference between the continuing resolution that our Government is currently running on and the joint funding resolution, H.J. Res. 20, that we are currently debating. If we fail to pass H.J. Res. 20, the bill before us, and, instead, extend the current continuing resolution for the rest of this year, we are going to see families across this country lose their housing.”