Alabama's congressional delegation was split Thursday during a vote on a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government into March, while the state's two senators voted against it.
In November last year, the House and Senate narrowly avoided a government shutdown by passing a CR despite a small number of dissenting members in opposition. Each year, both chambers are required to pass 12 individual spending bills that fund the government for the upcoming fiscal year. Last year, the common practice of passing the bills all at once, called an "omnibus" spending package, ran afoul of many more conservative lawmakers.
The omnibus bill had several contentious spending issues, such as border funding and more money to support the war in Ukraine. Those who opposed the CR expressed a desire to stay in Washington and debate each bill individually.
The November 2022 CR funded the government until February. Lawmakers have proposed another CR to prolong government funding until March while they deliberate federal appropriations.
Both houses passed the amended version of Thursday's CR, but not without pushback from Alabama's delegation.
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee who voted for last year's CR, voted against the Senate CR on Thursday, claiming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (R-N.Y.) has failed to bring a single spending bill for a floor vote.
"Today, I voted against Senator Schumer's continuous Continuing Resolutions," Britt said. "It is past time for the Senate to live up to the promise that we made to the American people and work to pass responsible appropriations bills through regular order in an open and transparent manner that includes a robust amendment process. The Senate Appropriations Committee worked diligently to markup and advance all 12 appropriations bills by the end of last July."
"Since then, 175 days have passed. Enough is enough. In the past 64 days, the time period since the most recent Continuing Resolution passed, Senator Schumer has not allowed a single appropriations bill to come to the floor. It is clear that he is not serious about conducting a regular-order appropriations process on the floor, and I will not vote to kick the can down the road to an omnibus. The American people deserve better than this broken federal spending process, and I will continue fighting to restore fiscal sanity and common sense to our nation's capital," she continued.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), who voted against last year's CR, also voted against Thursday's. On Wednesday, Tuberville said he does not anticipate an impending government shutdown.
"I don't think we will shut the country down," Tuberville said. "This place is run by the seat of its pants. It just amazes me every day how we waste the taxpayer's money here in Washington, D.C. We don't look over it, and we overspend. That's the way things have run up here for a very long time."
In the House, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise), Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) and Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) voted against the House's CR. The rest of Alabama's congressional delegation, U.S. Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), Mike Rogers (R-Saks), Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) and Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) voted in favor.
Moore promptly released a statement, voicing the same concerns that nearly led to a shutdown last year.
"Thanks to Biden's out-of-control spending, it took our country just 105 days to get from $33 trillion to $34 trillion in debt, so it's no surprise Americans are being forced to pay a 17% inflation tax on all goods and services," Moore said. "I voted against this continuing resolution because it contains no meaningful spending cuts, and Americans can't afford more inflation. This resolution also fails to address the crisis at our southern border that puts American families in danger every day. If Biden refuses to secure our southern border and put America first, Congress should refuse to fund a woke, weaponized and wasteful government."
Palmer said he opposed the CR since it continued spending at the same "unstable levels."
The CR continues to spend at the same unsustainable levels I have opposed in the past. At some point we must confront the reality that we must reduce spending. I am disappointed we are still passing CRs. I will continue to push for sensible spending cuts & sensible fiscal policy.
— Gary Palmer (@USRepGaryPalmer) January 18, 2024
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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