WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) issued the following statement regarding her vote against passage of House Republican’s fourth continuing resolution:

“Yesterday, I voted no on yet another irresponsible, short-term funding measure.  Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, yet continue to fail the American people by refusing to govern.  We should be passing a full-year budget agreement, not a fourth, short-term Continuing Resolution (CR).

“The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is not a bargaining tool.  A permanent reauthorization of CHIP protects 9 million of our most vulnerable children long-term and provides much needed certainty to their families.  This CR also fails to reauthorize funding for our Community Health Centers that provide high-quality health care for more than 27 million Americans every year, leaving children and families without access to care.  The CR does not provide relief for our nation’s safety net hospitals depended upon by millions of low-income patients and thousands of communities.  Republicans should stop putting Americans’ health at risk and act on these life and death issues.

“Congress needs to find an immediate fix for the very real pension crisis facing our constituents.  Thousands of Ohioans and other retirees across the country are at risk of losing their hard-earned pensions.  Republicans should protect the people we were all sent here to serve.  Furthermore, the CR does nothing to help our fellow Americans in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas, and California as it fails to ensure passage of a critical disaster relief package.

“Despite rhetoric to the contrary, lurching from Continuing Resolution to Continuing Resolution is devastating to our military and our veterans.  You cannot plan effectively 30 days at a time.  Another CR provides no certainty for military funding, preventing the Department of Defense from investing in long-term projects and planning.  If the President and Congressional Republicans truly cared about keeping our military strong and providing care for our veterans, they would negotiate in good faith with Democrats to pass a full-year funding package that addresses all of our nation’s priorities and provides stability.  It is time to put partisan politics aside and get back to work on solutions that benefit the people we were elected to serve.”

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