Rep. Chu Statement on CR to Avoid Government Shutdown

Washington, DC — Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) voted to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend funding for all government agencies through December 20, 2019 and issued the following statement:

"The government should not be run on continuing resolutions. That is why the House did our job by voting for all 12 appropriations bills earlier in the year. And I was encouraged by the bipartisan budget agreement this summer that the Senate would be willing to work with us to finally fully fund the government for more than just a few months at a time. But, once again, the Senate's refusal to engage meaningfully has brought us to the brink of yet another government shutdown. As we saw from the last shutdown, less than a year ago, the consequences for federal employees and the country are serious, which is why we acted to pass this CR today. But we cannot keep kicking the can down the road.

"Not only is this CR just another delay in the serious budget work that must be done, but it also fails to meet the full needs of our country. For instance, funding for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), which was allowed to expire in September, was not included in this CR. That is hampering the planning of colleges and universities that have been successful at creating more opportunities for students of color. And so I urge the Senate to address this by passing the FUTURE Act immediately. I am also disappointed to see that this CR also included a three-month reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act, which we know has been used infringe on the civil liberties of Americans. I encourage my colleagues to consider much-needed reforms to the program, such as prohibiting surveillance on activities protected by our First Amendment, or those that discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin, before extending this program any further.

"However, there are other positives to this CR. In addition to avoiding a costly government shutdown, it also provides full funding for the 2020 Census for the period of the CR, and provides a 3.1% pay raise for our troops. Given the costs of inaction, I felt voting for the CR today was my responsibility to my constituents, but our true responsibilities to create stability and opportunity demand a full budget. And for that, Senate Republicans will have to get serious about the appropriations process."