Rep. Cisneros Blasts GOP Plan for Year-Long Continuing Resolution

Washington, DC – Congressman Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-31) spoke on the House floor this week lambasting Republican leadership’s plan to put forward a year-long Continuing Resolution (CR). Rep. Cisneros pointed out how a year-long CR would be devastating for the U.S. economy and undermine national security. Rep. Cisneros was recently named Chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s National Security Working Group. 

Click here to view his remarks. 

Text of Rep. Cisneros’s floor speech can be found below: 

“Mr. Speaker, Republican leadership has called for a year-long Continuing Resolution (CR) ahead of next week’s government funding deadline. 

“That is a horrible idea. 

“To be clear, the government funding bills should have been completed last year. But House Republicans made the political decision to punt them to this year because they wanted to wait for President Trump to move into the White House.  

“Well, House Republicans got what they wanted, but still haven't been able to pass any new funding because their party refuses to accept the responsibility of governing. 

“That’s what has led us to this year-long CR.  

“Both the President and the Speaker have called for a, quote, unquote “clean” CR. But neither of them can articulate what that means. So not only is Republican leadership struggling to say what they want to see in it, but a year-long CR would negatively impact our economy. 

“A year-long CR creates economic uncertainty and job insecurity because it prevents federal agencies from making new hires and starting new programs. It delays contracts and applications for grants, which reduces the level of services agencies provide while also increasing costs. And it reduces funding for nearly every federal program that Americans rely on, like VA medical care and food assistance programs. 

“Donald Trump and Shadow President Musk have already thrown hundreds of thousands of public employees in limbo – a CR would only exacerbate their uncertainty and endanger their livelihoods. But that’s not the only disastrous implication of a year-long CR. 

“A year-long CR would undermine our military readiness and our national security. 

“The Department of Defense would have to slow recruiting efforts and delay servicemember moves, throwing our military families into limbo. Not to mention, it would potentially negate the 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted, delay military housing projects, and undercut initiatives to improve servicemember quality of life and mental health. Also, because a year-long CR would not account for inflation, thousands of DoD programs would see cuts. That includes programs that deal with nuclear triad modernization, shipbuilding and ship maintenance, munitions production and replenishment, and U.S. priorities in the Indo-Pacific. 

“Ultimately, a year-long CR would force too much uncertainty and stress onto our servicemembers and their families. And it would impede our ability to react to national security threats. 

 “Even some of my Republican colleagues agree with me on this point. 

“One Republican colleague said that, ‘A continuing resolution is bad for our military and weakens our national security. A CR means new weapons programs cannot get started, ship building will be delayed. A year-long CR means we are not serious about building a military that will deter the PRC, Russia, or Iran.’ 

“The White House may be out of touch with reality when it comes to Ukraine and supporting our allies abroad. But their fealty to Vladimir Putin doesn’t mean the United States can resign its role in standing up for Ukraine and democracies around the world.  

“Washington Republicans need to get it together. They control the White House, and they control Congress.  If we have a government shutdown, it falls on them and their inability to govern. 

“I yield back the balance of my time.”