Collins vows continued opposition to spending resolution

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Wednesday that she'll oppose the continuing spending resolution until appropriations bills get votes in the Senate.

“I will continue to oppose the continuing resolution as a protest to the lack of leadership,” Collins said on the floor. “The American people deserve better.”

Earlier Wednesday she voted against ending debate on a motion to proceed to the spending resolution that would keep the government funded for six months. The motion passed 76-22. The House passed H.J.Res. 117 last week; the Senate is expected to finish business on the resolution by the end of the week.

“I am deeply disappointed that the Senate has not been able to complete and vote on the appropriations bills before the fiscal year,” Collins said. “It’s not as if the beginning of a fiscal year is a surprise for members of Congress. It’s always Oct. 1.”

Collins said she would prefer to fund the government by passing the appropriations bills that have cleared committees, rather than “kicking the can down the road” with continuing resolutions.

“Rather than consider these appropriations bills, they’d rather kick the can down the road and pass a six-month extension,” Collins said. “It’s still not too late, there’s no reason why the individual spending bills couldn’t be brought to the floor and allow senators to offer amendments.”

Collins said the Senate Appropriations Committee has passed 11 of the 12 spending bills, but Senate leadership has refused to bring them to a floor vote.

“Not a single one of those bills, not even the ones that had been passed by the counterpart in the House, have been brought up,” Collins said.

The House has passed seven of their 12 appropriation bills.

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