SHAHEEN STATEMENT ON VOTE TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) released the following statement on her vote for a Continuing Resolution (CR) to maintain government funding and avert a manufactured government shutdown.  The CR (H.J. Res. 59) passed the Senate by a vote of 54-44.

“I share the frustration people in New Hampshire have with the obstructionism that has run rampant in Washington and has driven us closer and closer to a government shutdown.  For several months a small group in Congress has refused to go to conference on a budget that responsibly addresses our spending and deficits, leaving us to address critical spending issues at the last minute.

“Failure to pass the Continuing Resolution is not an option. The consequences of a government shutdown are very real and we can’t afford to hurt our fragile economic recovery. I am hopeful the House will act quickly to pass this Continuing Resolution and provide the certainty our economy, small businesses and families across the country need. Ultimately we need a comprehensive deficit reduction plan so that we can avoid these manufactured crises and keep our economy growing.”

Senator Shaheen has been part of a large bipartisan call to end the obstructionism that has paralyzed Congress and delivered remarks on the Senate floor earlier today to urge bipartisan cooperation on the CR. Shaheen has advocated for  Congress to reform its broken budget process and convert it to a two-year biennial budget cycle. She introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) to convert the annual spending process to a two-year budget cycle, which the Senate adopted as an amendment to its budget resolution passed in March.