Rooney Cosponsors Bill to End Inefficient Continuing Resolutions

Washington, D.C. –  On Tuesday, Congressman Thomas J. Rooney (R-FL) cosponsored H. Res. 983, a proposal to eliminate the practice of continuing resolutions to fund our national defense.

“Congress’ main responsibility is to exercise the ‘power of the purse’ by passing a budget and corresponding appropriations bills by the end of the fiscal year. Yet each and every year, we force our government agencies to operate from deadline to deadline through continuing resolutions. Businesses don’t operate this way, nor should our government, especially when our national security is at stake,” Rooney said.

H. Res. 983 would urge the U.S. Senate to complete its work on the fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill for the Department of Defense quickly so the U.S. House of Representatives can reconcile differences between the two appropriations bills.

The proposal would also encourage Congress to present the President with the fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill for the Department of Defense no later than Sept. 30, 2018, the end of the fiscal year.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) introduced the proposal earlier this month. 

“We always say ‘We’ll do it in a few weeks,’ yet the few weeks come and go and nothing is ever accomplished. We simply punt our responsibilities and say we will do better next year,” Rooney said. “Well, I’ve been here for 10 years and it’s always the same old process. Important agencies and priorities like our national defense are stretched thin and forced to live in uncertainty because Congress is inefficient. It’s time to end these continuing resolutions and I am proud to stand with Rep. Cheney to accomplish what we were sent to do in Washington in the first place: to work for the American people."