Senator Collins Urges Colleagues to Support House-Passed Continuing Resolution, Avert Shutdown

Click HERE to watch and HERE to download

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered remarks on the Senate floor today to urge her colleagues to support the continuing resolution passed by the House of Representatives to prevent a harmful government shutdown.

A transcript of Senator Collins' remarks are as follows:

"Mr. President, I rise to urge passage of the funding bill that was approved by the House of Representatives earlier today.

"Mr. President, let's be clear on what this bill is and what is it not. It is a stop-gap measure, which is known as a continuing resolution, or often called a CR. It is straightforward. It continues current funding levels of government until November 21st. That gives Congress the time that we need to continue our work on the annual appropriations bills. It is not a year-long CR. Republicans do not want a year-long CR. The reason we are operating under a year-long CR for the first time in history for the Department of Defense, which is causing tremendous difficulties, is because the then-Majority Leader, Senator Schumer, refused to bring a single appropriations bill to the Senate floor in the last Congress despite the hard and bipartisan work of the Senate Appropriations Committee. So, let's be clear on that.

"Once again, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have worked hard over the last several months to advance annual appropriations bills and carry out our constitutional responsibility of the power of the purse.

"Last month, the full Senate passed with overwhelming bipartisan support our first package of fiscal year 2026 annual appropriations bills. They included the bills funding agriculture and the FDA, military construction and Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch.

"Mr. President, this marked the first time since 2018 - seven years ago - that the Senate approved annual appropriations bills before the August home state work period.

"In the intervening weeks, the leaders of the relevant Senate subcommittees have been working very hard with their House counterparts on both sides of the aisle to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate bills. We hope to have final versions of these three bills soon that can be considered in both chambers, enacted, and sent to the President for his signature.

"In addition, Majority Leader Thune has already expressed a willingness, indeed a commitment, to bring another package of fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills to the Senate floor next month. This is a welcome change from last year when then-Majority Leader Senator Schumer refused to bring a single one of the 12 annual appropriations bills to the Senate floor for consideration.

"That's the facts, Mr. President.

"The result of that obstruction was a full-year continuing resolution for FY 2025 and a delayed start to our current appropriations process.

"To my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who want to avoid a similar fate for fiscal year 2026, I say, 'Work with us to complete the annual funding bills, just as we are doing in Committee. Pass this clean CR, which has no poison pills, so that we can prevent disruptions to vital programs on which the American people rely while Congress completes its work on the annual funding bills.'

"It should be that simple.

"Government shutdowns have negative consequences across government and across the nation. They require certain government employees, such as Border Patrol agents, members of our military and Coast Guard, TSA screeners, and air traffic controllers, among others, to report to work with no certainty on when they will next receive their paycheck.

"Shutdowns put critical investments in our national defense on hold. Training exercises would be limited, which could hurt our nation's readiness. New programs would be paused, delaying new capabilities from getting to our war fighters.

"Under a shutdown, federal funding for important national priorities would be halted, including grants to state and local law enforcement and other first responders, new funding and support for the Head Start program and child welfare services, as well as formula grants to states that support older Americans and individuals with disabilities.

"Most day-to-day operations at our national parks would cease. The first week of October is usually peak foliage in Downeast Maine, Mr. President. It's a time when visitors flock to Acadia National Park - the crown jewel of Maine. In previous shutdowns, park personnel were kept to a minimum. Visitor service centers were closed, restrooms were not maintained, and trails were not cleared. All of this affects the visitor experience, and has a ripple effect, harming our local small businesses when tourists decide to cancel their reservations.

"Instead of supporting a clean CR to prevent a government shutdown, Congressional Democrats sadly have put forth a partisan alternative that is full of poison pill riders and significant policy changes. This is not a clean CR just extending existing funding levels until, in their case, until the end of October, and in the case of what I thought was an agreed upon bipartisan date, November 21st, as the House bill would do.

"Most appalling, and I want to make sure that all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle realize this, the Democratic version of the continuing resolution would repeal the $50 billion fund that I authored to help our rural hospitals that are on the brink of closure. I'm sure that's a problem in the presiding officer's state as well.

"In Maine, we have already seen one hospital closure this year, and this fund is vital to other rural hospitals across the state and across the nation that are struggling to stay afloat and provide essential health care to their communities.

"Now Mr. President, I support extending the enhanced premium tax credit for health insurance, but unlike appropriations, that issue does not have a September 30th deadline. It should be a priority for us to take up before the end of the year because, as has been mentioned by the Vice Chair, insurance bureaus across the country have approved substantial rate increases - 24 percent in the State of Maine - so we do need to act, but that is a significant policy change and the deadline is not September 30th.

"I urge my colleagues to abandon this brinksmanship that does not serve the American people well, that is unworthy of this Senate, and adopt this straightforward bill sent to us by the House, which the President is willing to sign into law without any further delay and which will avoid a completely unnecessary and harmful shut down of government.

"This would allow us the time to complete the FY 2026 appropriations process and continue our work to find a path forward on the enhanced premium tax credit.

"Thank you, Mr. President."

###