Casten Statement on Continuing Resolution to Fund the Government
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) has released the following statement regarding the continuing resolution passed by the House to keep the government open:
“If you’re feeling a sense of déjà vu, it’s not hard to figure out why. For the second time in a matter of weeks, House Democrats have once again stepped up to keep the government open and prevent Republicans from enacting extreme spending cuts to vital programs.
“To be clear — we should have spent the past month-and-a-half working towards a bipartisan solution to fund our government for FY2024. Instead, House Republicans ousted their speaker, took 3 weeks to elect a new one, and struggled to pass harmful and partisan spending bills that did not have any reasonable chance of becoming law.
“The continuing resolution is deeply flawed. It fails to provide assistance to key American allies, does not fund necessary programs to ensure nutrition assistance for women and children, and hurts both the State Department and Department of Defense. But, given the harm a shutdown would inflict, we must move forward with this temporary stopgap measure. I will continue to advocate for a bipartisan, yearlong government funding package to address the needs of the American people and provide critical aid to American allies across the globe.”