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The Hill: Democrat knocks ‘Groundhog Day funding measures’ after CR vote  

Jan 18, 2024
Fiscal Responsibility & National Debt
Good Governance
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THE HILL, SARAH FORTINSKY

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) knocked Congress for relying on “Groundhog Day funding measures” to keep the government open after the House approved its third short-term spending bill so far in fiscal 2024 to avert a shutdown.

The two-step continuing resolution (CR) cleared the chamber in a 314-108 vote, shortly after the Senate approved the measure earlier that afternoon. The measure will now be sent to President Biden’s desk for a signature, just one day before the government was set to partially shut down.

The resolution extends government funding deadlines to March 1 and March 8, giving lawmakers more time to finish formal appropriations.

“I JUST voted with both Democrats and Republicans to avoid a partial government shutdown and economic calamity for Virginia,” Spanberger wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “But we have only kicked the can down the road.”

“We are long overdue to end this cycle of political games and short-term, Groundhog Day funding measures,” she added.

Spanberger’s frustration exists across party lines. Many Democrats took aim at Republicans for not more broadly backing the short-term funding bill, which they saw as the only way to avert a shutdown by the deadline. Some conservatives, on the other hand, were critical that the resolution was approved without including GOP policy victories, such as on border security and spending cuts.

On both sides, members similarly expressed frustration about the frequency with which Congress does not meet its deadlines.

“It does not matter who’s sitting in the Speaker’s seat or who’s got the majority. We keep doing the same stupid stuff,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said in House floor remarks. Roy has long opposed continuing resolutions and has pushed for more spending cuts.

Ultimately, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) relied on Democratic support to approve the bill. Only two House Democrats voted against the measure, whereas the GOP was split on their votes.

“House Democrats are the adults in the room,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said on X. “We stopped a MAGA shutdown in September. We did it again in November. And we did it again today.”

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) shared a similar sentiment on X, writing, “Once again, Democrats stood up to be the adults in the room and provided the votes to keep the government up and running. House Republicans have neither the interest nor the ability to govern.”

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