Yesterday, just hours before the midnight deadline, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government—and avert a shutdown— through December 11. The Senate passed the CR in a 78-20 vote, while the House vote was 277-151.
The House also voted yesterday on a “correction enrollment” measure—meant to “correct” the CR—to defund Planned Parenthood. However, the vote is considered to be largely symbolic as the Senate is not expected to act on the measure.
In a statement, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said, “Tonight’s vote highlights the astounding, toxic radicalism of the Republican majority. It exposes the depths of their contempt for women’s health and their total indifference to the priorities of hard-working American families. The American people need and deserve better. In the coming weeks, Congress must come together to avert further crisis and negotiate a budget that will responsibly end the sequester and meet the needs of the American people.”
Lawmakers now face the challenge of formulating a long-term budget deal that President Obama will sign into law. Obama has vowed to veto any spending measure that does not ease the sequestration spending cuts and caps on appropriations put into place in the 2011 Budget Control Act. Congress granted sequestration relief during negotiations on the last spending bill, but that relief is set to expire in 2016.
Media Resources: The Hill 9/30/15; Office of Nancy Pelosi, Press Release 9/30/15; Huffington Post 3/21/15; Washington Post 9/14/13; Politico 10/12/13
