West Virginia’s congressional representatives split on a short-term bill to avert a federal government shutdown.
Congresswoman Carol Miller, a Republican who represents West Virginia’s southern counties, voted Tuesday evening in favor of the bill.
“The two-part Continuing Resolution will allocate time for Congress to discuss, debate, and come to a consensus on funding for federal agencies. Under Speaker Johnson’s leadership, House Republicans are putting the American people before politics,” Miller stated.
Congressman Alex Mooney, a Republican representing the state’s northern counties, voted against it.
Mooney, a candidate for Senate, has said during recent federal funding questions that he favors longer-term funding through individual allocations bills that cut overall funding significantly.
He said that remains true.
“This stopgap, we’re going to be in the exact same position. And guess what, we are in the exact same position,” Mooney said today on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”
“We still haven’t done our job and passed the 12-month spending bills. So that actually proves my point that we’re in the exact same position again. And now we kick the can down the road to January, February. And do you think we’re going to pass it all by then? Look, as long as you stopgap, we’re not doing the right thing and passing the full-year bills.”
The House’s continuing resolution passed on a 336-95 vote. More Democrats than Republicans voted for the spending resolution — 127 Republicans and 209 Democrats in the GOP-majority chamber.
The bill extends funding at current spending levels for about 20 percent of the federal government until Jan. 19, and the remaining 80 percent until Feb. 2.
Funds would expire for military and veterans programs, agriculture and food agencies, and the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development on Jan. 19. They would expire for the State, Defense, Commerce, Labor, and Health and Human Services departments, among others, on Feb. 2.
Without legislation to continue funding, federal government operations will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
The Senate would still need to act on a funding measure, which would also require President Biden’s signature.
In remarks at a Republican news conference on Tuesday afternoon, prior to the House vote, Senator Shelley Moore Capito discussed the need to fund the government and return to regular order.
“In terms of the House CR as it comes before us, I believe it will get a good vote. I’m certainly going to support it,” said Capito, a Republican member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.