Rep. Harold Rogers led the effort to get the House to pass a stopgap budget Thursday, but he wasn’t happy about it.
Rogers, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said on the House floor that the spending plan was “simply a Band-Aid on a gushing wound.”
It was “bad for Congress, bad for the federal government, bad for the country,” not to mention how it “creates uncertainty” for budget planners.
But, he explained, Congress had little choice but to approve the plan, which continues funding for most agencies through April 28. The House wrapped up its major business after the vote and will return in January.
“This legislation is necessary to continue vital government programs and services, like our national defense. It keeps the lights on in our government, preventing the uncertainty and harm of a government shutdown,” Rogers said.
“While I firmly believe a continuing resolution is no way to run a railroad, at this point, this is our best – and only – path forward.”
Colleagues agreed. The House approved the bill, 326 to 96. It was a bipartisan show of force, as 208 Republicans and 118 Democrats voted for the measure, while 33 Republicans and 63 Democrats voted no. The Senate is expected to vote Friday.
David Lightman: 202-383-6101, @lightmandavid