House Democrats not supportive of 'bad' continuing resolution

Multiple House Democrats emerged from their caucus’s weekly meeting on Tuesday without anything positive to say about the latest continuing resolution (CR) House GOP leaders are racing to pass this week.

“The vibes from the folks that I’ve spoken to in our caucus are pretty clear, that we don’t want more funding for a war that [President Trump] chose to get us into, and we certainly don’t want it for the CR,” Rep. Emily Randall (D-Wash.) told The Hill, referring to the ongoing war in Iran. 

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and top House Republicans are attempting to tee up debate and a final vote on the stopgap funding measure for this week, with a procedural vote on the matter set for 1:30 p.m. EST. The measure proposes funding the government from Oct. 1 through Dec. 4, giving lawmakers time to finish the annual appropriations process.

Given Johnson’s slim majority, Democrats do not have much leverage if the GOP conference unites around the CR. But that is far from a guarantee, as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) argued Tuesday the measure passing would endanger the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act — a bill that other conservative hard-liners have stalled floor action over. 

Plus, if the measure passes the House without unanimous support from Republicans, that could portend difficulty for Senate GOP leaders in getting it through their chamber. 

House Democrats, meanwhile, cited multiple reasons for why they are not backing the funding measure.

Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) noted the issue of timing, as House GOP leaders are trying to pass the resolution before the lower chamber heads on its annual summer recess next week, instead of waiting until September. 

“We still have two months before it’s… actually necessary,” Ivey told The Hill. He later said Johnson’s legislative strategy — the Speaker is attempting to pass the CR, the annual National Defense Authorization Act and a ban on stock trading for government officials this week — makes “no sense.”

Ivey added of Johnson, “It’s a horrific performance.”

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) also criticized Republicans for their strategy on government funding, predicting they will be “begging” Democrats for help before the clock runs out.

Randall acknowledged the possibility of a government shutdown if Oct. 1 arrives without a deal, something she said “no one” wants. But the Washington Democrat highlighted language in the CR that she says could lead to “unchecked” funding for U.S. Border Patrol in justifying why she will vote no. 

Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are funded through the rest of Trump’s term, but multiple Democrats on Tuesday raised concerns about the CR’s language allowing for the transfer of funds to the immigration enforcement agencies.

“Our votes and the opinions of the public are the most effective ways that we can push back and try to stop this bad continuing resolution,” Randall added. 

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), the third-ranking House Democrat, cited the same “drafting errors” in explaining why he will vote no on the CR and encourage other caucus members to do the same. 

“I also haven’t seen a list of, I think it’s over 100 anomalies that the administration is requesting, that is not a part of this proposal, as I understand it,” Aguilar said at a press conference. “So, all of that are signs pointing to this just not being a serious proposal and not being cooked in a way.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.