(The Center Square) – Never one to be unclear when it comes to the government and health care, one of the 10 practicing physicians in Congress well versed on both sides of this issue has strong feelings about his opposing colleagues on the government shutdown.
“The hypocrisy is appalling,” says U.S. Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy, R-N.C. “Pass the clean CR and then we can talk policy.”
The continuing resolution, or CR, has been voted against by Democrats eight times – when it passed in the House of Representatives on Sept. 19, and in the Senate on Sept. 19 and 30, and Oct. 1, 3, 6, 8 and 9.
On Oct. 1, 2013, the American government shut down after the Republican majority House of Representatives balked at inclusion of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Fast forward a dozen years to the fourth shutdown since.
Filibustering led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in the Republican majority upper chamber means the chamber needs three-fifths majority (60 of 100 votes) rather than a simple majority where Republicans have 53 seats, Democrats 45 and two are independents.
Murphy said two key leaders for Democrats, Schumer today and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., previously, have spelled it out for everyone.
Pelosi wanted a clean resolution during the last government shutdown in late 2018 and early 2019, when border wall funding was in play. She also did in 2011 at a time of consideration for Hurricane Ida and western wildfire relief.
Schumer’s party put the heat on him for his support of the Republicans’ continuing resolution in March when a government shutdown was possible. Over his five terms, his position – just like Pelosi – has fluctuated with the mix of party majority in the chamber and political advantages or disadvantages to keeping policy in or out of the resolutions funding the government.
Murphy said, “During the Schumer Shutdown it is interesting to find previous quotes that have the Democrats looking foolish. Pelosi and Schumer have both previously said that ‘Policy is not to be put in a clean CR.’ Even former President Obama weighed in on the 2013 shutdown by telling a crowd over a decade ago, ‘There is one way out of this reckless and damaging Republican shutdown: Congress has to pass a budget that funds our government with no partisan strings attached.’”
Obama’s comments came during his weekly address that Oct. 5.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., says Democrats want free health care for people who have illegally come into the country; $500 million for certain news outlets; a $50 billion cut to rural health care investments; and billions of dollars to fund foreign climate projects and projects associated with diversity, equity and inclusion.
The resolution at hand would keep the government open and pay troops, agents for the Transportation Security Administration, border patrol, air traffic controllers and federal workers.
Second-term Republican President Donald Trump, fresh off a peace deal between Israel and Hamas that included safe return of 20 living hostages taken Oct. 7, 2023, on Monday directed War Secretary Pete Hegseth to use available funds to pay troops as scheduled on Wednesday.
That’s big for eastern North Carolina’s six major installations – the U.S. Army’s Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, Seymour Johnson Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station New River and MCAS Cherry Point – and the two U.S. Coast Guard bases along the northern coast at Elizabeth City and the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point on the southern coast in Brunswick County.
There are nearly 64,000 children of the estimated 91,000 active service members in the Tarheel State. The state is also home to about 620,000 veterans, just under 6% of the 11.1 million population.
