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 Washington, D.C.  – Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) voted today to stop shutdown policies that are blocking funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Both the Nutrition Assistance for Low-Income Women and Children Act (H.J. Res. 75) and the National Emergency and Disaster Recovery Act (H.J. Res. 85) passed the House of Representatives by a broad, bipartisan margin. President Obama signed similar legislation from House Republicans to protect pay for active-duty military members during a shutdown and should sign these proposals as well. 

“Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives are taking steps to re-open federal government services for the American people,” Congresswoman Foxx said. “Though the Democrat Senate still refuses to talk with us about how we can solve our policy differences and re-open fully, more and more Democrats in the House are choosing not to follow their partisan lead and instead are seizing common ground where we can find it. Fifty-seven House Democrats, to-date, have joined us in our efforts to get government moving again.

“While the House of Representatives waits for the Senate to come to the table and work out a fair plan to end this shutdown, we’re going to keep doing whatever we can to ensure Washington’s dysfunction doesn’t cause any more inconvenience or pain for the American people. These smaller funding bills give us a bipartisan opportunity to do what’s best for the country while we seek resolution with the Senate and President. There is no excuse to dismiss these proposals.

The House has now taken action on eight separate measures to solve problems caused by the federal government shutdown. Eight additional bills will be considered by the House in coming days. With the exception of the Pay our Military Act (H.R. 3210), the Senate has refused to consider any, consistent with their policy of non-negotiation. While President Obama chose to sign the Pay our Military Act, he threatened to veto fourteen other bills House Republicans have introduced to restore funding to critical services in spite of the Senate’s unwillingness to negotiate our other policy differences and re-open government.

In advance of the October 1 deadline, the House of Representatives offered four separate proposals to fully fund the federal government.

Timeline of House Proposals to Keep Government Open:

• September 30, 2013 – House votes to fully fund government, equal treatment under Obamacare, and conference with the Senate to shape a funding compromise.
• September 30, 2013 – House votes to fully fund government and guarantee fairness for all Americans under Obamacare.
• September 29, 2013 – House votes to fully fund government, delay Obamacare one year, and permanently repeal Obamacare’s Medical Device Tax.
• September 20, 2013 – House votes to fully fund government services, while blocking funding for Obamacare. 

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