Maine Congressional Leaders React to Govt. Shutdown Temporarily Averted

Washington, D.C. (WABI) - U.S. Senator Angus King released the following statement after the Senate passed a bipartisan bill 88-9 to fund the government for 45 more days, averting an immediate shutdown:

“Today’s vote from Congress will protect and sustain the current government services and operations that every American relies upon – from soldiers and seniors to small businesses and the most vulnerable among us — but it should not have come with so much bad faith and brinksmanship. The fact that this 45-day spending bill doesn’t contain the drastic and damaging cuts sought by fringe members is a welcome reality check.

“Although I would have preferred that the provision providing funding for Ukraine’s fight against Putin’s aggression have remained in the bill, its removal by the House Republicans should not be seen as representing a meaningful shift in the overwhelming bipartisan support for Ukraine — both now and in the future.”

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U.S. Senator Susan Collins releasing this statement after the vote-

“Today’s passage of a continuing resolution averts a shutdown and is a victory for common sense.

“Government shutdowns are harmful and should be avoided at all costs. They deprive our military, border patrol agents, air traffic controllers, and airport security personnel (TSA) of their paychecks while requiring them to perform their essential work. They hamper the delivery of many government programs upon which families rely. They cause National Parks like Acadia National Park to close, decreasing revenue for local small businesses and disappointing visitors. They halt essential biomedical research.

“In addition, government shutdowns actually cost taxpayers money by increasing the cost of short-term borrowing by the government and have an adverse impact on the entire economy.

“Now that this immediate crisis has been averted, it is time to get back to processing the 12 appropriations bills that passed the Senate Appropriations Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support.”

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Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) issued the following statement after his vote:

“I said earlier that the only path to avoid a government shutdown was an agreement like the one I voted for this afternoon. Speaker McCarthy did the right thing for the country by putting this 45-day extension on the House floor so that a strong coalition of Democrats and Republicans could sideline the self-absorbed hardliners that wanted to shut down the government. Congress now has 45 days to negotiate a long-term agreement and I will continue working to support the budget deal that Congress agreed to earlier this summer.”

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, released this statement-

“For months, there has been a bipartisan path forward to keeping the government open. This stopgap passed with votes from both sides, but nearly half the Republican conference was opposed, and Democrats delivered the votes for enactment. We never should have gotten to the point of being just hours away from a government shutdown. While this stopgap is by no means perfect, it was necessary to avoid the disastrous impacts that a shutdown would have on our communities. Notably, Republicans’ denial of Ukraine funding is a deeply concerning and could have grave consequences for Ukraine’s counteroffensive,” said Pingree. “Make no mistake: Congress still has a lot of work to do, and House Democrats will not back down in our fight to combat extreme, dangerous, and short-sighted cuts to vital government services, programs, and operations.”