One of the most important jobs Congress has is funding the government. There is a specific process for doing so, but Congress keeps missing the mark. I am committed to righting those wrongs.
On the Senate floor last month, I stood up with Republican colleagues and again asked Senate Democrats to put the bipartsan committee-passed appropriations bills on the floor for consideration, starting with the Fiscal Year 2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act and the FY25 Defense Appropriations Act.
Unsurprisingly, our calls fell on deaf ears. There is no good reason the Senate shouldn’t have used August and September to debate and then vote on these bills. Without Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer allowing these bills to proceed to the floor, the critical resources our courageous service members and our veterans need for Fiscal Year 2025 remain on pause.
We must fix this. We must return to regular order.
This is how government funding should work:
— The president delivers his budget to Congress by the first Monday of February.
— The House and the Senate conduct congressional budget hearings.
— The Senate and House Appropriations Committees each draft 12 individual appropriations bills followed by a markup and vote on each bill.
— The committee-passed bills go to each full chamber for individual consideraton.
— After both chambers have passed their 12 individual appropriations bills, a Conference Committee forms to resolve the differences between each of the two chambers’ bills.
— The Conference Report — for each of the final bills — is voted on by both chambers of Congress.
— Upon passage, the bill goes to the president’s desk for signature by September 30, the end of the fiscal year.
That is not what happened last year. In fact, the last time Congress passed all 12 appropriations bills on same was Fiscal Year 1997. The last time it passed all 12 on time as individual bills was Fiscal Year 1995. Congress hasn’t funded the government properly in nearly 30 years.
This year, the Senate Appropriations Committee has advanced 11 of 12 bills. Unfortunately, under this Democrat Senate Majority, it doesn’t look like any of those bills will be considered individually any 5me soon. Senator Schumer has refused to put a single one on the floor regardless of the fact all received strong bipartisan support and six passed unanimously.
I have worked tirelessly on these bills, as have my colleagues. These bills will help advance our vital national interests. They will return Alabamians’ hard-earned dollars to our state to train our military, strengthen our communities, to support our law enforcement and emergency responders, and to invest in our future.
Instead of allowing us to move forward, the Democrat majority ignored our bipartisan appropriations bills and chose to kick the can down the road as far as they could — December 20. I could not stand for Senator Schumer’s repeated refusal to allow Congress to do its job. I could not vote in favor of a continuing resolution when 11 of 12 appropriations bills have been waiting to be voted on. There was a clear path the Senate should have taken on funding, but Senator Schumer chose otherwise.
Now, we are going to face a massive omnibus in December, which means less opportunity for debate, less transparency into what taxpayer money is actually being used for, and more irresponsible spending.
What a terrible Christmas gift.
We need Senator Schumer to allow the Senate to do its job. It’s what the American people expect, and more importantly, it’s what the American people deserve.
I am committed to seeng these appropriations bills across the finish line. These bills will support our national defense, they will invest in Alabama, and they will push Congress back towards functional governance.