U.S. Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, led caucus members in calling on Democratic and Republican congressional leadership to put forward a bipartisan spending bill that would fully fund the U.S. government through the end of the fiscal year.
“Governing by continuing resolutions and government shutdowns are no way to run our country and hurts the people we were sent to Washington to represent,” caucus members said in a statement released on Nov. 21.
The Problem Solvers Caucus, which Rep. Reed co-chairs with U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), is comprised of 48 members equally divided between Democrats and Republicans and who are committed to forging bipartisan cooperation on key issues.
“The American people want Congress to do their job, put politics aside, and pass a long-term spending bill,” Rep. Reed said. “Congress must stop putting politics first and focus on good policy because these two and three-week spending bills are no way to run a country and does nothing but deliver uncertainty for our hardworking federal workers, puts our national security at risk, and makes long-term strategic decisions extremely difficult for our essential government agencies.”
Rep. Gottheimer added that “keeping the federal government open shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”
“It’s clear that our budget system is broken,” he said. “That’s why the Problem Solvers Caucus … is demanding that we break through the gridlock to work to find a bipartisan budget solution to fund our government. No more short term fixes — the American people deserve certainty.”
Other caucus members also released statements supporting the group’s formal position, including U.S. Reps. John Katko (R-NY), Fred Upton (R-MI), and Don Bacon (R-NE).
For instance, Rep. Upton said that continuing resolutions are only supposed to permit additional time for lawmakers to put together a responsible budget for the fiscal year. “Continuing resolutions are not supposed to be the solution. They should not be our goal,” he said.