On Senate Floor, Shaheen Warns of Repercussions of Congress Not Finishing Work on Government Funding Bills

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(Washington, DC) —U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered remarks on the Senate floor today expressing her disappointment in the Republican leadership’s decision to cease work on bills that would fund federal agencies for the full year and, instead, resort to a stop-gap funding bill known as a continuing resolution (CR).

In her remarks, Shaheen highlighted the serious negative impacts that a short-term, stop-gap bill would have in the Granite State on crisis centers that provide critical services to domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s ability to award contracts for critical infrastructure projects, among others.

Shaheen also drew attention to the consequences stop-gap funding will have for national security, cybersecurity and emergency preparedness. Shaheen pointed to the case of Manchester-based company, Dyn, which was hacked late last month, taking down a large section of internet in the U.S. To address cybersecurity challenges like these, “our appropriations bill tripled the number of Federal Cybersecurity Advisors and increased cybersecurity funds to harden systems in Federal agencies. But now, because of the CR, all of these advances will be put on hold for lack of funding.”

Shaheen continued, “The Constitution vests in Congress the profound responsibility to appropriate funds to meet the nation’s needs… once again, we are presented with a short-term, stop-gap funding bill that shortchanges critical national needs and priorities. The American people deserve better.”