WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington Sen. Patty Murray urged her Congressional colleagues on Friday to take the necessary action to avert a government shutdown.
This week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rolled out a plan to temporarily keep the government open, but was rebuffed by both Democrats and Republicans. His proposal included 30% spending cuts to a slew of agencies.
Democrats asserted that McCarthy’s proposal was too extreme, while many Congressional Republicans believed it didn’t go far enough.
Now, Congress is rapidly approaching a Saturday deadline to fund the government with few solutions appearing to be imminent.
“The plain truth I want the American people to recognize is: it did not have to be this way,” Sen. Murray said on the Senate floor. “But a number of House Republicans have been working from day one of this Congress to hold our government hostage, push the most extreme, partisan agenda imaginable, and set us on a collision course for a government shutdown.”
Murray went on to criticize McCarthy for reportedly accepting a bipartisan handshake deal before putting forth a separate proposal with deeper spending cuts.
“Before the ink was dry on the deal he shook hands on, Speaker McCarthy caved to demands from the far right to ignore the agreed-upon spending levels,” Murray said.
Several hard-right conservative Republicans have been vocal about their willingness to enter into a shutdown.
“We should not fear a government shutdown,” Virginia Rep. Bob Good said earlier this week. “Most of the American people won’t even miss it if the government is shut down temporarily.”
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