Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Scott Peters released the following statement after voting no on the Continuing Resolution that still fails to address the healthcare crisis:

“It’s good news that the longest government shutdown will end today. Many people who need food assistance will see their benefits restored. Air traffic controllers, TSA agents, and other federal employees who have been working without pay will be compensated. Our service members will not need to worry about the status of their next paycheck. 

“I voted against the continuing resolution on September 30th because vital health care tax credits were about to run out – a matter that should have been fixed by President Trump and Republican congressional leadership long before this funding deadline. The President’s overt assertions that he can spend or withhold money in the budget as he likes, known as impoundment, are unconstitutional and illegal and that issue was also not discussed.

“I voted against the resolution again today because those two items are still not addressed in this bill. Now we move to an actual budget negotiation to conclude in January. Health care costs are exploding – Democrats want to reverse that. I hold out hope that Congress will reaffirm its sole authority over the power of the purse and that the President abides by the deal Congress makes to fund the government. If those matters are resolved in ongoing negotiations, I’d expect to vote yes in January.

“The progress that was made in the Senate since September 30th to stop illegal firings and protect food assistance in the event of another shutdown occurred because Senators of both parties spoke to each other in good faith. Republicans are in charge. They need to begin working with Democrats on a budget deal immediately because they will need Democratic votes again. This ridiculous shutdown could have been avoided or minimized if they hadn’t pretended that they could force Democrats to take the bad deal without any say in the matter. I hope the appropriations process now returns to our nation’s longstanding tradition of bipartisan negotiation on behalf of the American people.”

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