Senator Murray Remarks on Senate Republican Bill to Empower Trump with a Forever CR—Giving Up Lawmakers’ Power Over Spending

***WATCH: Senator Murray's comments***

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor ahead of a vote Senate Republicans teed up on a bill introduced by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) that would indefinitely extend an automatic 14-day continuing resolution (CR) in the event of a lapse in appropriations.

Senator Murray's remarks, as delivered, are below:

"This bill has a nice-sounding name, but that's about the only good thing you can say about it, because what it really does is hand over Congress' power of the purse to Donald Trump and Russ Vought.

"If this bill passes, it won't just be Democrats' voice in funding that gets squashed; Republicans will be cutting themselves out of funding decisions.

"Because this bill extends government funding indefinitely, so Donald Trump and Russ Vought never have to worry about Congress again.

"If this bill were to pass, Trump could quite literally refuse to sign any funding bill, even a bipartisan bill, unless it met all of his demands, and Congress would then have to override his veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers if we ever wanted to get off the forever CR that this bill would put in place. No way.

"There's a very simple way to avert a shutdown. It starts with Republicans working with Democrats to hammer out a solution. It's time to do that.

"I urge a no vote."

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