DOVER, DE – With the federal government hours away from a shutdown, Delaware Senate Republicans are calling on U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester to put aside partisan politics and support the clean Continuing Resolution (CR) already passed by the U.S. House.
The measure, which maintains spending levels signed into law under former President Joe Biden, would keep government open through November 21 while allowing Congress time to debate broader policy issues through the normal appropriations process. Despite its bipartisan intent, Democrats in D.C. have attempted to hold the federal government hostage by tying unrelated demands to the CR such as permanently extending temporary COVID-era Affordable Care Act subsidies and allowing illegal immigrants access to taxpayer-funded Medicaid.
“Delawareans have seen this before,” Senate Republican Leader Gerald Hocker (R-Ocean View) said. “In 2019, Senator Coons and then-Representative Blunt Rochester warned about the real-world damage caused by shutdowns such as federal employees missing paychecks, Coast Guard families struggling, and risking vital services like food assistance programs. They were correct then, and they should stand by those words now.”
Earlier this month, Representative Sarah McBride joined nearly all House Democrats in voting against the clean CR. If her position holds, it will directly contribute to a shutdown that will hurt Delaware families, small businesses, and federal workers.
“Shutdowns don’t serve the people of Delaware or this country,” said Joint Finance Committee member Senator Dave Lawson (R-Marydel). “They create unnecessary chaos and uncertainty, especially when there is already a clear, responsible path forward. A clean CR is not a Republican plan or a Democratic plan. It is a stopgap to keep the lights on while the larger debates continue. Delaware’s federal elected officials should remember their own words about putting people over politics and work to avoid an avoidable crisis.”
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