Rep. Chu Statement on Vote to Avoid a Government Shutdown

Just hours before the deadline to avoid a government shutdown, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution to fund the government until December 11, 2015. After the vote to pass the continuing resolution, the House voted for a resolution that would add language to defund Planned Parenthood. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), who voted for the continuing resolution and against the measure to defund Planned Parenthood, released the following statement:

“With this resolution we avoided one looming partisan shutdown only to set up the next for December. Meanwhile, sequester cuts continue to strangle domestic services and our defense capabilities. This pattern of lurching from crisis to crisis while ignoring the requirements of real, long-term budgeting must end. Worse, Republicans once again tried to use the urgency of keeping the government open as an excuse to attack women’s healthcare by trying to defund Planned Parenthood. This ploy, which almost led to yet another government shutdown, threatened to have serious impacts on the health of women and families. I am proud to stand by Planned Parenthood as an essential provider of safe, legal, and quality care.

“Today is not a victory, it is just doing the bare minimum to avoid a failure. The sequester must be lifted and government should return to funding as normal. I voted today to avoid a shutdown, but I would much prefer to vote on a budget that meets our needs, helps families succeed, puts our country on a secure footing, and provides real confidence in our government and the economy.”