Jefferson Reporter

U.S. Senator Katie Britt has expressed her opposition to a Continuing Resolution that she believes sets the stage for passing a large omnibus bill just before Christmas. In a statement released today, Senator Britt criticized Senate Democrats for not bringing any Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bills to the floor before September 30.

"Democrats have once again abdicated their fundamental responsibility as members of the U.S. Senate by refusing to put a single Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bill on the floor before September 30," said Senator Britt. "Despite the fact the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced 11 of 12 funding bills with bipartisan support by August 1, Senator Schumer has chosen to prioritize partisan nominees and election year show votes."

Senator Britt further highlighted that there is no plan from the Senate Democrat Majority to bring Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bills to the floor before December's end. She noted that the Senate is scheduled to be in session for only five more weeks before the New Year.

"It is clear that their intention is to try forcing a massive omnibus on the American people right before Christmas. I will not support that plan," continued Senator Britt. "It’s past time to restore regular order to appropriations and achieve accountability when it comes to government spending. My vote today makes crystal clear that I am serious about fixing this broken process."

Last week, Senator Britt joined other Senate Republicans, led by Appropriations Vice Chair Susan Collins, in advocating for consideration of two specific pieces of legislation: the Fiscal Year 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act and the FY25 Defense Appropriations Act. Both bills were unanimously advanced out of committee by August 1 but had not been brought to the Senate floor prior to consideration of the continuing resolution.

Additionally, Senator Britt supports Senator James Lankford’s Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2023. This legislation aims to permanently end federal government shutdowns if Congress fails to enact spending bills by the start of a new fiscal year.

Under this proposed act, if Congress does not pass all appropriations on time, an automatic 14-day Continuing Resolution would be triggered, maintaining funding at previous fiscal year levels. If no resolution is reached after two weeks, subsequent automatic CRs would continue every 14 days until either all appropriations bills are enacted or a long-term CR is established.

While operating under these automatic CRs, members of Congress would face restrictions including prohibitions on using official funds for travel and requirements for daily sessions on the floor without considering any measures other than appropriations bills.