Rep. Smith Statement on Continuing Resolution

I voted against the partisan Republican proposal today because it was created solely to serve Musk and Trump, not the American people.

Trump and Musk are holding the U.S. government hostage to personally improve their standing. Musk intervened to protect himself from a China provision that would hurt his business interests. And Trump insisted on raising the debt ceiling so that he would be able to make a massive tax cut for billionaires and CEOs as soon as he gets into office in 2025.

The real tragedy here is that House Republicans are going along with this every step of the way. They have decided to protect Elon Musk’s business interests around China instead of funding childhood cancer research or improving child welfare services. They are prioritizing billionaires over substance-use disorder treatment, 9/11 responder and survivor health funding, workforce development programming, and seniors’ health and wellness services.

This failed bill cuts critical funding that working families are counting on, raises prescription drug costs for hardworking American taxpayers, and makes it easier for CEOs and billionaires to ship jobs overseas.

More than anything we are facing a shutdown because of Mike Johnson’s refusal to pass appropriations bills and fund the government the way it’s supposed to be funded. We should not be getting to the point where we need a Continuing Resolution to avoid a shutdown.

We should pass normal appropriations bills. But the reason we are not passing appropriations bills is the same reason that Mike Johnson allowed Trump and Musk to force forward their own self-interested proposal: he kowtows to the extreme, far-right MAGA Republicans in his conference.

We have the votes to pass normal appropriations bills and that should be our next step. I am deeply concerned that Johnson will not bring the appropriations bills up because MAGA extremists control him.

I urge my colleagues across the aisle to find a bipartisan, common-sense compromise to keep our government funded responsibly.

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