U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce issued the following statement on his vote against the Senate Amendment to H.R. 719, a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through December 11.
“Congress did not complete its duty to the American people,” stated Pearce. “Yes, we avoided a ‘shutdown,’ but we, the Congress, did not provide the certainty, flexibility, or the honesty the American people deserve and need to invest for the future, to hire more employees, or to expand a business. Despite being hailed as a victory – in just 10 short weeks -- Congress and the federal government will be right back in the same position. To me, that is a failure and completely unacceptable.”
“It did not have to be this way. Congress showed signs of true progress by passing a funding bill late last year, which made beneficial changes to how the government spends -- for the first time in years. In April, the House continued this positive trend by starting the Appropriations process the earliest it has since the 1970’s. At the end of July, the House had voted on and passed half of the needed Appropriations bills, and made significant progress on the rest. Unfortunately, everything changed after the August recess. The Senate not only failed to take up any of the House bills, but also failed to develop or debate any of their own. And, the House failed to accomplish its goal of passing all 12 Appropriations bills – the general baseline for regular order.
“It is disappointing that Congress is regressing to its old ways, after clear progress was made to support job creation and economic growth. Supporting this bill allows the House and Congress to fall back into its old method of only funding the government for weeks at a time. The result: businesses will not have the confidence to purchase new equipment, hire more employees, or expand to new markets. In Carlsbad, WIPP will not be able to plan its recovery efforts for the next year. And, in Alamogordo, Holloman Air Force base will be forced to forgo full-year planning of the training mission our pilots and airman need.
“This short-term bill stifles progress being made at New Mexico’s universities and threatens to delay grant funding for businesses working to improve our communities. It also doesn’t provide any assurance to families -- looking to visit our state’s beautiful federal parks this holiday season -- that they will be open.
“It is my hope that in the next two months Congress can come together to craft a funding bill that provides the reform and certainty the American people need. As a Congress, we must not rest on successes we have already made; we must continue to improve and progress for the benefit of the American people.”
NOTE: The House voted today to concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 719 – the Continuing Resolution for FY2016.