In all, 19 Senate Republicans voted with Democrats on the bill. No Republicans in the House voted for it, including Mississippi’s Congressmen.
U.S. Senate Democrat and Republicans leaders announced Thursday that they had reached an agreement on a stopgap funding resolution that would avert a shutdown of the federal government. The agreement pushes the funding question back to mid-February.
The 11-week agreement keeps federal spending roughly at the current levels while adding $7 billion to aid Afghan evacuees.
Senate Republicans appear willing to continue to negotiate spending authorizations through short term continuing resolutions if for no other reason than to stall the Democrats’ gargantuan spending and progressive social policy agenda.
Maintaining current levels of necessary spending in the interim, perhaps through the midterms, allows Republicans to essentially block Democrats from further adding to the inflationary situation in the nation while also protecting key provisions, such as the Hyde Amendment, that otherwise could be removed.
If Republicans can win a majority in the U.S. House next November and retain at least a 50-50 split in the Senate, a longer term spending plan could be a possibility as both parties would then be forced to negotiate in better faith, rather than the Democrats holding all of the cards as they do now.
Mississippi Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith were among the 19 Republicans to join all Democrats in the Senate to approve the measure in a 69-28 vote.
Senator Wicker has expressed concern over such short term spending agreements in the past. However, in the current environment, Wicker told Y’all Politics on Friday that keeping federal spending at Trump-era levels while Republicans continue to fight the expansive spending the Biden Administration seeks and averting a shutdown made sense for now.
“A continuing resolution is never an ideal solution, but a government shutdown benefits no one,” Wicker said. “This legislation maintains government funding at levels set under the Trump Administration while Republicans continue to fight against President Biden’s and Congressional Democrats’ plans for a massive expansion in federal spending.”
Senator Hyde-Smith agreed with her Magnolia State colleague. She is the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. As such, she has had communications with her Democratic counterparts regarding the outlook on producing a bill without the poison pills the left has been intent on including in a longer term resolution
“Democrats continue to demonstrate their inability to lead, but nothing good comes from government shutdowns, which cost the U.S. economy billions and restrict Americans’ access to important services,” Hyde-Smith said. “This short-term, stopgap gives Democrats more time to get realistic so we can write responsible appropriations bills for 2022.”
Hyde-Smith pointed to the Democrats’ reckless spending while shortchanging the nation’s military, neglecting border security, pushing the Green New Deal, and expanding the IRS’ ability to snoop in citizens’ bank accounts, among other things.
All three Republican Congressmen from the Magnolia State – Trent Kelly (MS 1), Michael Guest (MS 3) and Steven Palazzo (MS 4) – opposed the resolution while the state’s lone Democrat, Congressman Bennie Thompson (MS 2) voted with his side of the aisle to pass the resolution. The total House vote was 217-209, with no Republican support.
Congressman Guest took to Twitter to share his position on the funding measure, saying Democrats have spent the last six months focused on a agenda that has driven up inflation.
“They have ignored calls to create a real budget, so I will not be voting to bail them out for forgoing the responsibilities of Congress,” Guest wrote.
I am not voting for another continuing resolution. DC Democrats have spent the last 6 months focused on a agenda that has driven up inflation. They have ignored calls to create a real budget, so I will not be voting to bail them out for forgoing the responsibilities of Congress.
— Congressman Michael Guest (@RepMichaelGuest) December 2, 2021
Congressman Thompson took pride in his vote to approve the short term funding measure, tweeting after the vote, “I am proud to be the only Member of Congress from the Mississippi delegation to vote to continue funding the government.”
I am proud to be the only Member of Congress from the Mississippi delegation to vote to continue funding the government. #HR6119
— Bennie G. Thompson (@BennieGThompson) December 3, 2021
Frank Corder
