What’s Happening:
As the country barreled toward a shutdown over the weekend, Republicans in the House had to deal with false accusations from Democrats to keep the federal government open. The country was just hours away from not having a budget to operate as Democrats kept up their political shenanigans.
The Democrats’ display of delay tactics and false accusations was on full display Saturday. Chief among them was Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) who took to the floor of the House and social media to boldly claim that Republicans were giving themselves more money.
From Fox News:
“They amend the Senate bill to give themselves a pay raise,” DeLauro said. “A pay raise. It’s there. You can look at me, you can smile but what you did was you amended the Senate bill to give yourselves a pay raise.”
Republicans answered her claims on the floor by shouting her down, yelling “That’s false.” What she claimed happened was far from the truth, according to Republicans, and nothing more than a fictitious and desperate attempt to cause a government shutdown.
DeLauro continued her false claims by posting on social media that Republicans were attempting to pass a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) that would take effect automatically. She was met with harsh facts and a little constitutional education from GOP members.
“Disregard totally what you’re hearing from the other side,” said Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA). “They are grasping at straws, making excuses and telling flat-out lies about member compensation as an excuse to vote against this piece of legislation.”
Scott quoted the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that shows how DeLauro was wrong in her claims. He pointed out that a COLA pay raise in this instance would be unconstitutional whether it was enacted by the House or the Senate.
After all the bantering and false claims, DeLauro voted for the House funding bill. The Senate later expedited the legislation that averted a federal government shutdown with a 45-day funding patch. The measure extends funding beyond the end of the fiscal year which concluded Saturday.
The short-term bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), passed 335 to 91 in the House. All but one Democrat voted for the bill, and 90 Republican members voted against it.
Any bipartisan celebration for this funding bill is muted by the reality that it contributes more to the national debt which reached $33 trillion for the first time in history in September. Conservative policy items like border security and spending cuts failed to make into the bill.
Key Takeaways:
- Democrat makes false claims as federal government faces shutdown.
- Republicans shout down speech on House floor claiming “pay raise.”
- GOP leader says Democrats were “grasping at straws” to stop a vote.
Source: Fox News
