Merkley, Wyden explain ‘no’ vote on funding federal govt.

Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., explained late Friday why they voted against a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through April, which was approved.

First, Senator Merkley’s statement:

“With tonight’s congressional action — or lack thereof–a critical lifeline for rural Oregon will disappear. Since 2000, the Secure Rural Schools program has provided essential resources for rural Oregon counties to maintain schools, transportation and public safety. Without it, children’s education will suffer, roads will crumble, and lives will be put in danger as patrols are cut back drastically.

“We need a long-term solution for Oregon’s timber counties, but we also need a bridge to get there. Congress’s failure to extend the Secure Rural Schools program before the end of this year fails our rural communities. That’s 100% unacceptable.

“Unfortunately, this is not the only area in which Congress abdicated its responsibilities with this bill. Instead of investing in a year-long funding bill, Congress punted and is instead running our government on autopilot until the end of April. A full year-long bill would have averted the threat of a shutdown in early 2017 and would have made critical investments for both urban and rural Oregon.

“Congress also failed to keep our promise to miners who are depending on the government to uphold the long-standing bargain on health insurance. With this bill, the miners will have no idea if they will be insured after April.

“Finally, the Senate leadership has pre-emptively abandoned the Senate’s responsibility to thoroughly debate the highly extraordinary request by President-elect Trump that Congress change long-standing laws that maintain civilian control of our military. This issue deserves a full and extensive debate in broad daylight. The bill to change those laws won’t even be introduced until next year and yet Senate leadership slipped a provision into this legislation in the dead of night that stifles Senate debate on that future bill.

“For all these reasons, I could not vote for the continuing resolution tonight.”

Wyden, D-Ore., said he voted against the end-of-year, must-pass bill to fund the government because the bill leaves out essential reforms for vulnerable children in foster care and protections for the families of mine workers.

“Republican leaders touted this as a clean extension of noncontroversial, already agreed-upon policies. Instead, Republicans are skipping town without extending tax policies that protect middle class homeowners and jobs and without reauthorizing aid for rural timber counties. They also leave behind some of the most vulnerable among us – children in foster care and certainty for the widows of miners and their families who would have been helped by widely supported bipartisan bills.

“Furthermore, I strongly oppose the exemption to allow recently retired military officers to serve as Secretary of Defense. Congress has only exempted one Secretary of Defense from the legal requirement for military officers to spend time out of uniform. That one exemption happened in 1950, and it was controversial then too. That exemption explicitly recommended that no further exemptions should be given.

“The fact is, a Congress full of World War II veterans recognized the importance of having a civilian lead the Pentagon, and I urge my colleagues to heed their example.”