(The Center Square) – Arkansas’ four U.S. representatives backed a bill defeated in the House on Friday that would have kept the federal government open until Oct. 31 while the House worked out a permanent spending plan.
Rick Crawford, French Hill, Bruce Westerman, and Steve Womack were among the 198 Republicans voting yes. Democrats and 21 Republicans defeated the bill.
“A vote against this bill is a vote to continue down the path of out-of-control spending, to keep our borders open and to shut down the government,” Westerman said from the House floor.
The bill included funding for the Department of Homeland Security to continue the construction of a wall on the south border to curb immigration. Customs and Border Patrol would be required to have 22,000 full-time agents by September 2025.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, said he would not vote for a continuing resolution because “it’s a vote to continue the status quo.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, D-New York, said Friday afternoon Democrats were united in their decision to pass a continuing resolution through the U.S. Senate that “is free of any partisan poison pill ideological amendments.”
Congress has until midnight Saturday to reach an agreement. In the meantime, Arkansas officials are preparing for the effects of a shutdown.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders met with her cabinet and advised them any federal programs that still had partial or current grant funding from the government could continue. Programs deemed essential, including those involving health and public safety, would remain open, but all others would shut down.
“There are approximately 14,000 employees within state government with salaries funded (partially or fully) with federal dollars,” said Scott Hardin of the Department of Finance and Administration in an email to The Center Square on Thursday. “As of today, we anticipate less than 100 of those employees will be affected by a shutdown next week. However, that could change based on the length of the shutdown.”
The longest government shutdown was 34 days.
