Press Releases

As the U.S. government enters a second week of a shutdown, U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) penned an op-ed that encourages Senate Democrats to end their shutdown and vote for the Republicans’ clean, short-term Continuing Resolution to reopen the government. 

Read his full op-ed in Cardinal News here or below.

The Democratic move to attempt to force Republicans to place long-term programs within a short-term Continuing Resolution is not serious governance, but political posturing.

Republicans in Washington voted to responsibly fund the government through a clean, short-term Continuing Resolution (CR). It was the right thing to do!

The government funding bill gives Congress additional time to work through several policy matters, including working on appropriations bills through the regular order.

This also continues funding at current levels and extends significant bipartisan programs whose authority ran out September 30.

Nonetheless, Democrats voted to shut it down.

Democrats in the U.S. Senate, including Virginia’s Democratic senators, repeatedly rejected the noncontroversial Continuing Resolution that funds the government through November 21.

This decision breaks from recent Democratic tradition: under President Biden, the Democratic conference supported 13 short-term Continuing Resolutions!

But this time, Democrats are mostly united in their opposition to the Republican Continuing Resolution. Many of them, including Virginia’s Democratic senators, say they are using their shutdown to force Republicans to the negotiating table.

What do they want to negotiate?

Democrats claim they are fighting for $1.5 trillion more in spending.

That much is true.

But what Republicans put forward is a short-term spending plan, not a long-term one.

And yet, in this short-term Continuing Resolution, Democrats demanded numerous things, including permanent programs! 

If they were serious about their demands, they would have developed a better plan.

What Democrats did was repackage old ideas and throw everything and the kitchen sink into a spending bill!

Accordingly, they included health care for illegal aliens.

Would they have proposed this if it was a serious policy offer?

I hope not.  

Democrats claim Republicans are lying.

Unfortunately, we are not. 

It is in the Democratic proposal!

If this was a serious proposal for a short-term Continuing Resolution, among other things, Democrats could have removed that provision.

Further, some Senate Democrats, led by Senator Chuck Schumer, sing a tune that vastly differs from earlier this year. 

Schumer, who has supported similar short-term Continuing Resolutions throughout his career, voted in March to allow a Republican Continuing Resolution to advance.

Following his decision, Schumer received intense backlash from members of his party and New York progressive base. Schumer’s position was so underwater that he went on a national media blitz in an attempt to repair whatever standing he had left with his Democratic base.

Now, Schumer is helping Democrats shut down the government, an idea unfathomable to him just six months prior!

Is it that when Schumer saw “Democratic Socialist” Zohran Mamdani secure the Democratic nomination for mayor in New York City this summer, Schumer saw the writing on the wall for his own career?

I believe Schumer is trying to save face for his own political prospects.

Accordingly, instead of a serious short-term proposal, Democrats threw a spending package together to satisfy their base. 

How do we know this is what the Democratic base wants?

Look no further than the 2020 Democratic presidential debates. 

In a June 2019 debate, the moderator asks the Democratic candidates to raise their hands if their government plans would provide health insurance coverage for undocumented immigrants.

Their response?

All 10 candidates on stage, including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, raised their hands. They received a raucous applause from the progressive audience.

Just recently, a reporter asked California Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters if Democrats are demanding health care for illegal aliens during this shutdown impasse.

Her response?

“Democrats are demanding health care for everybody!”

The Democratic move to attempt to force Republicans to place within a short-term Continuing Resolution things such as health care for illegals is not serious governance, but political posturing.

Republicans will not be bullied into some political ploy. Our constituents depend on government programs and services that are jeopardized because of this shutdown. Congress is limited in acting if Democrats drag out this process.

As the Republican Continuing Resolution comes up for another vote, I welcome my Democratic colleagues to do the right thing. Fund the government. 

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