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Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives have expressed dissatisfaction with the passage of the short-term funding bill after Congress last week again forced a vote on a bill that would address concerns about partial government.
Congress sent the emergency funding bill to President Joe Biden on Thursday, who signed it on Friday. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed it 314-108, but much of the support came from Democrats due to divisions within the Republican Party. The bill, which funds federal agencies through March, easily passed the Democratic-led Senate.
Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said the trend of continually passing resolutions every few months is “dysfunctional and irrational.”
“This wasn’t that complicated before,” he told theGrio.
“While there may be hiccups here and there, retirees and those receiving government benefits or relying on government services will experience any interruptions, disruptions, or delays in receiving paychecks. We didn’t create a scenario where we had to worry about it happening,” or benefiting, he added.
Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, told The Grio that passing so many short-term funding bills “sends a message that the Republican majority is incapable of governing.”
“When it comes to governing and preventing shutdowns, that is the most basic responsibility we have,” she said.
“I hope people realize that Democrats are working hard to make sure these bills pass,” Brown added. “Republicans are just creating chaos, confusion and uncertainty in people’s lives.”
Biden signed the short-term government bill into law on Friday, funding some federal agencies through March 1 and remaining programs through March 8.
This is the third continuing resolution the federal government has passed since September, leaving Americans who rely on the federal government for pay and benefits uncertain about what their long-term future holds.
“With the House Republicans in this Congress, it’s almost like a Groundhog Day scenario,” Ivey said.
“It’s unfortunate. At least we didn’t actually shut down the government, so I give credit to Speaker Mike Johnson for that, but they need to understand what they’re going to do over there.” “There is,” he added.
The House of Representatives passed the continuing resolution with 107 Republicans and 207 Democrats in favor. Meanwhile, 106 House Republicans voted against the bill.
The vote for House Republicans was “almost split down the middle,” but “some House Republicans explicitly called for a government shutdown,” Ivey said.
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“I don’t know. We should be able to keep the government functioning and pay down the debt…House Democrats had to save House Republicans from collapsing the government,” he added.
Brown told The Grio that unless an agreement is reached on government funding beyond March, the government shutdown will be a major challenge, especially for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC. He said it would be devastating for constituents who rely on supplemental nutrition assistance. program known as SNAP.
“Prolonged closures could impact the most vulnerable populations and increase food insecurity and economic hardship for some,” she said.
Ivey told the Grio that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said: will also be affected, “If you get paid late, you may not get paid at all, perhaps depending on your role within the agency. ”
“A lot of them are living paycheck to paycheck like everyone else. So that’s putting them in a really bad situation,” he said.
“Retirees and veterans are concerned about what services they will continue to receive,” he continued. “For government contractors, I don’t think there’s a provision for them to be compensated.”
Brown told The Grio that it is important that “Americans understand how dangerous, divisive and destructive the Republican Party’s antics are.”
She said House Republicans really want to “promote their personal agenda more than the people.”
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