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John McCain statement on possible government shutdown

Posted at 4:12 PM, Jan 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-19 20:06:56-05

Senator John McCain released a statement Thursday on failure by Congress to reach a long-term budget agreement.

Full statement:

“As we approach tomorrow’s funding deadline, the only two options on the table seem to be a government shutdown or yet another continuing resolution. Those who will pay the price for either failure are America’s service members. Nearly one-third of the way through the current fiscal year, it is unconscionable that Congress still has not negotiated a bipartisan budget agreement. For months, it has been clear we would need a long-term agreement to lift the spending caps of the Budget Control Act and provide the military the funding it needs to properly train, equip and prepare our forces. Congress’ inability to reach a budget agreement is a total abdication of our responsibility to defend the nation and give our service members the resources they need to succeed.

“I’ve long believed that we must help the thousands of young people who were illegally brought into this country through no fault of their own. I still believe we can pass legislation to address this pressing issue and reform our immigration system. But holding our men and women in uniform hostage to other demands is a dereliction of our first duty as members of Congress to provide for the common defense. Ultimately, this is not about which party is to blame; it is about all of us in Congress taking seriously our responsibility to adequately fund the military and protect our nation’s security. With rising threats around the world and a readiness crisis endangering service members’ lives, Congress must provide sufficient, stable funding for our military. We cannot do that without long-term budgeting. And we certainly cannot do that through continuing resolutions.”

Stay with KGUN9 and kgun9.com for updates about the possible government shut down.