Merkley votes against 2-week stopgap funding measure

Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., issued a statement Thursday explaining why he voted against a two-week continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded and avoid a shutdown while President Trump and legislative leaders work on a longer-term solution:

“We face a huge number of serious issues that we are already far behind on tackling. The authorization for the Children’s Health Insurance Program expired 68 days ago, and health care for nine million children hangs in the balance. We just faced one of the worst wildfire seasons on record, and disaster relief for communities across the country is still unresolved. Over 100 DREAMers lose their legal status every day that we do not act.

“We need to get serious about resolving these many urgent issues our nation faces. Today’s CR did not pass that test, and that’s why I voted ‘no.'”