Reps. Raul Grijalva and Ann Kirkpatrick released statements following the recent passage of a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government through December 2021 and suspend the debt limit through December 2022.
According to Rep. Kirkpatrick’s press release, the legislation does the following:
- Secures government funding through December of this year, ensuring the uninterrupted operations of essential government services and allowing for Democrats and Republicans in Congress to continue to advance appropriations priorities through the regular order process for Fiscal Year 2022.
- Delivers emergency funding for urgent priorities, including relief funding for communities devastated by this summer’s record-breaking natural disasters and funding to resettle Afghan refugees after the historic evacuation effort in August.
- Suspends the debt ceiling through December 2022, so that the federal government can continue to meet the financial obligations it has already made, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, services for veterans and paychecks for members of the military.
Kirkpatrick stated, “Today, I proudly voted to keep the federal government open so that Congress can continue our work For The People. As our economy continues to rebound from the COVID crisis, we cannot afford to derail our economic growth and put at risk the livelihoods of American families. That is why Democrats have acted swiftly to keep the lights on so the government can continue to deliver essential services that so many families depend on, as well as acted swiftly to prevent the utter catastrophe of an unprecedented debt default.”
Kirkpatrick also addressed the unwillingness of Republicans to join Democrats in this legislation. Kirkpatrick wrote, “Addressing the debt limit is a bipartisan responsibility. Over the last decade, every time the debt limit has needed to be addressed, Congress has come together and acted on a bipartisan basis. Over his four-year term, President Trump incurred $7.8 trillion in debt – and during those four years, Republicans and Democrats worked together to increase or suspend the debt limit three separate times. Now, under President Biden, many Republicans refuse to join Democrats in addressing the debt limit. This is blatantly hypocritical, given that only 3 percent of the current debt was accumulated under President Biden and more than 27 percent was incurred under President Trump.”
Rep. Grijalva stated, “I, along with House Democrats, supported this continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown and ensure critical services for vulnerable and working people across this country,” said Rep. Grijalva. “Republicans would prefer to play games with people’s lives and only support the suspension of the debt limit when it comes to giving massive tax cuts and handouts to the wealthiest Americans and companies rather than support working families in the middle of a pandemic. Failure to pass this legislation will have real consequences for people across this nation, and we cannot afford to default on our debt.”
