Van Hollen Statement on Averting a Government Shutdown

“Passage of this funding bill means we will avoid major disruptions to our economy and vital government services Americans rely on, the nearly 200,000 federal employees and servicemembers living and working in Maryland will stay on the job and receive their pay, and federal relief efforts in the wake of recent natural disasters will proceed. It shouldn’t have taken until the 11th hour, but I’m encouraged that enough House Republicans finally heeded our calls to work in a bipartisan manner and that we were able to keep the government open, allowing more time to make progress on full-year funding legislation. While I would have preferred to pass a bill now with additional assistance for Ukraine, which has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, it is easier to help Ukraine with the government open than if it were closed. That’s why we must spend the next 45 days working together to fully fund the government for the next fiscal year and ensure we provide vital support to the Ukrainian people as they defend themselves against Putin's aggression.”