Gluesenkamp Perez Statement on Continuing Resolution Vote

Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) released the following statement regarding her vote against a partisan stopgap measure:

“Today, I voted against a flawed Continuing Resolution, because I believe we should work on a bipartisan basis to pass a bill that works for communities like mine. My highest priority in Congress is to defend the interests of Southwest Washington – and the path of chaos and uncertainty today’s partisan CR presents is at best counterproductive and at worst empowers the most partisan members of Congress to have the most say in how our public dollars are spent.

This stopgap measure fails to fund much-needed community-led investments across Southwest Washington to support public safety, veterans, students, farmers, and utility infrastructure. It lowers funding levels for the U.S. Geological Survey and NOAA, as our communities face concerns about seismic monitoring in the region and layoffs of employees that help provide vital weather data for maritime safety. It would also cut U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction funding by 44 percent – which could impact efforts to keep commerce moving safely on our waterways and manage flood risk – while halting new projects.

This legislation cuts nearly $800 million from VA facility construction, does not protect funding levels for veterans homelessness, mental health, and addiction programs, and provides no advance appropriations for the Toxic Exposures Fund to avoid lapses in support for heroes suffering from service-connected illnesses.

It also decreases funding for state, private, and Tribal forestry programs that support forest management and prevent wildfire, small business development projects, clean drinking water grants, state and local law enforcement programs, and the Community Connect Program, which has supported rural broadband expansion in Lewis County. A $20.2 billion cut to IRS operations and tax enforcement would also make it more difficult to investigate complex forms of tax evasion by the wealthiest Americans – which typically delivers a significant return on our investment.

The Department of Defense has also never operated for an entire fiscal year under a Continuing Resolution, which raises concerns about impacts on our military readiness.

Congress too frequently relies on stopgap measures, rather than completing full-year bipartisan funding solutions. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I know how important it is to protect Congress’s power of the purse – and provide guidance to agencies on how to effectively spend taxpayer dollars. Congress needs to do the hard work of passing regular appropriations bills, rather than ceding our Constitutional obligations by relying on a hastily constructed Continuing Resolution. 

I came to Congress to vote on the merits of bills. As an independent voice for Southwest Washington, I’ll continue to put hardworking families first out of fierce loyalty to our communities. Folks across Washington’s Third District want responsible governance – and I look forward to finding bipartisan opportunities to address our most urgent priorities.

I urge all of my colleagues on both sides to get back to the table and negotiate a responsible, bipartisan fiscal package that meets the needs of communities like mine.”