Jefferson Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 18, 2024 – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) has expressed her opposition to extending Fiscal Year 2023 funding levels for the federal government into March 2024. In a statement, Senator Britt emphasized the need for the Senate to fulfill its promise to the American people by passing responsible appropriations bills through regular order, in an open and transparent manner.

"Today, I voted against Senator Schumer's continuous Continuing Resolutions," Senator Britt stated. "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."

Senator Britt highlighted the efforts of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which diligently worked to markup and advance all 12 appropriations bills by the end of July last year. However, since then, 175 days have passed without significant progress. Senator Schumer, according to Senator Britt, has not allowed a single appropriations bill to come to the floor in the past 64 days.

"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," Senator Britt asserted. "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."

Senator Britt is a co-sponsor of the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, which aims to permanently end the practice of shutting down the federal government if Congress fails to enact spending bills on time. The legislation, authored by Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.), proposes the implementation of automatic 14-day Continuing Resolutions (CR) if all 12 appropriations have not been enacted by the start of the next fiscal year. These CRs would maintain funding at the previous fiscal year's levels until all appropriations bills are enacted or a long-term CR is passed.

The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act also imposes strict measures on members of Congress while the federal government operates under automatic CRs. These measures include restrictions on official travel funds, daily sessions on the floor (including weekends), and a limitation on considering any measures other than appropriations bills.

In October, Senator Britt joined Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Nebr.) and 15 colleagues in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), urging him to forgo scheduled recess periods and keep the Senate in session until all 12 appropriations bills had been debated and passed.

As the debate on federal spending continues, Senator Britt remains committed to advocating for a more efficient and responsible appropriations process that prioritizes the needs and interests of the American people.