Congress Passes Continuing Budget Resolution Despite Increased GOP Opposition

The U.S. House passed a continuing resolution on Tuesday, keeping the federal government funded for three more weeks. While the measure passed with 271 votes, an increasing number of Republicans voted against it. On Tuesday, 54 Republicans who backed the last continuing budgetary resolution voted against the latest one.

Republicans pointed the blame at President Barack Obama and Democrats in control of the U.S. Senate.

For far too long the federal government has kicked the can down the road rather than conquer its addiction to out-of-control spending, said Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland. As a result, American taxpayers have been served a $14 trillion debt that wont be made any easier to digest by nibbling around the edges. Congress must have the courage to look beyond the small, short-term cuts included in todays spending resolution and begin to think big. We have a moral obligation to implement long-term spending cuts that shrink the debt and restore certainty for our small businesses.

The people of North and Northwest Florida have entrusted me to make tough decisions that challenge the status quo in Washington, continued Southerland. While Senate Democrats and the White House are content in blocking responsible spending cuts, I remain committed to eliminating the crushing burden of debt that threatens to make the American Dream nothing more than a fantasy for our children and grandchildren.

Democrats placed the blame on the Republicans in charge of the U.S.House, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch warned that a government shutdown could be in the cards.

"A government shutdown would deny Americans the services they pay for, stall critical government investigations, and chip away at our economic growth, said Deutch. While I voted to avoid this scenario today, it is disgraceful these temporary funding measures are taking the place of a real strategy to create jobs, grow the economy, and overcome our long-term fiscal challenges.

Those who argue the cuts in todays resolution do not go far enough have misguided priorities, added Deutch. We need immediate economic growth and long-term deficit reduction, not cuts that only serve to cripple essential services and eliminate hundreds of thousands of American jobs today. If the Republican leadership is serious about deficit reduction, Congress should take a serious look at the ongoing tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, frivolous taxpayer subsidies for the oil industry, and corporate loopholes that move jobs offshore.