Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., circulated a letter to senators Sunday afternoon warning them of the looming Sept. 30 government funding deadline and highlighting that rail safety legislation and proposals to lower insulin and prescription drug costs are his top remaining priorities for 2024.
Schumer also said his priority over the next four months will be continuing to confirm President Biden's judicial and executive branch nominees, as Democrats risk losing their Senate majority.
Democratic leaders warned that not extending government funding beyond the end of the month would jeopardize “critical funding for health care, infrastructure, education, food safety, veterans, border security, American competitiveness and more.”
He reiterated that Democrats support a continuing resolution to keep the government funded for a few weeks or months, but stressed that they would not support controversial Republican policy riders such as the Protect America Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require people to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
“As I have said before, the only way to get things done is in a bipartisan manner. Despite Republican rhetoric, we have passed every budget bill in a bipartisan manner, and this will be no exception. We will not allow funding for vital programs to be jeopardized by poison pills or Republican extremism,” he said.
House Republican leaders released a 46-page plan Friday to fund the government through March 28, 2025. The plan also includes a proposal to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
“Avoiding a government shutdown requires bipartisan cooperation, not one-party legislation,” Schumer warned in a joint statement last week with Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
Looking beyond this month's budget deadline, Schumer said he still hopes to finish some postponed priorities before the 118th Congress adjourns in January.
“There are still opportunities for bipartisan cooperation on the NDAA, on rail safety, on lowering insulin and prescription drug costs, on artificial intelligence and more,” Schumer said, referring to the National Defense Authorization Act, which lawmakers said is unlikely to be introduced in Congress until after the election.
“While we won't be able to accomplish all of these goals before the election, I hope my Republican colleagues will work with us to make as much progress as possible,” he wrote.
“Finding compromise is never easy, but we know it's the only way we can get results for the American people. The unity of our caucus has been key to our success, so I want to thank each and every one of you for working hard to find compromise wherever possible,” he added.
Schumer also highlighted bipartisan accomplishments of the past 18 months, including the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, military assistance to Ukraine and Israel, and humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
“We've secured critical disaster relief funding, passed legislation to keep kids safe online, and more,” he wrote.
He said he was urging House Republicans to take up and pass two Senate-approved bills to protect children while they surf the Web: the Children's Online Safety Act and the Children and Teen Online Privacy Protection Act.
