Mark Pocan: “As of today, Congress has less than 3 weeks to reach an agreement on government funding before the September 30…”

“As of today, Congress has less than 3 weeks to reach an agreement on government funding before the September 30 deadline. If we cannot complete this fundamental task, the one thing we have to do as Members of Congress, we risk shutting down the government, an outcome that would have devastating consequences for the American economy, American families, and our national security. I wish I could stand here and talk about all the great bipartisan work that the House Appropriations Committee has been doing and reassure you that we are on track to fund the government on time, but unfortunately that is far from reality. This year, House Republicans have abandoned bipartisanship and instead chose to draft some of the most extreme partisan and harmful legislation that I have ever seen. Their bills would enact devastating cuts that would jeopardize our children's education and futures, weaken our rural communities, increase costs for families, and leave our country less safe by directly cutting funds for necessary law enforcement. On top of this, they have packed these bills to the brim with extreme policy riders that have no chance of becoming law, including abortion bans and extremist discriminatory policy. We often say that your budget is a reflection of your values, and these shameful funding bills show that the House Republicans are lacking many. It doesn't have to be this way.…”