WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Lou Correa (CA-46) voted against the flawed GOP continuing resolution and released the following statement:
“Instead of staying at the negotiating table to pass bipartisan full-year funding bills, GOP leadership walked away and have now put up a partisan, full fiscal year continuing resolution that falls short of our promise to our seniors, veterans, and hard-working American taxpayers on Main Street,” Correa said. “This partisan funding bill recklessly shortchanges housing, nutritional assistance and veterans benefit programs. It also does nothing to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.”
This GOP full-year continuing resolution:
- Puts tens of thousands of households on rental assistance at risk of eviction;
- Reduces support for homeless shelters and services;
- Cuts investment in affordable housing production; and
- Fails to reign in the chaos and uncertainty created by funding freezes, cancelled contracts, and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) field office closures.
“This CR reneges on Congress’ constitutional duty of the purse as a co-equal branch of government. I will not vote to leave Main Street behind and relinquish our constitutional responsibility and authority to any President,” he added. “This partisan funding bill will open the door for the White House to move federal funds away from affordable housing, Medicaid, and other services our community depends on. We should do right by our working families, veterans, and seniors—and come up with a bipartisan solution to the challenges they’re facing each and every day.”
Specifically, this flawed continuing resolution:
- Shortchanges rent subsidies for low-income and working Americans by more than $700 million - which means landlords will have to foot the bill or evict more than 32,000 households including veterans, seniors, and families
- Puts thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration at risk of being fired - which would result in closures of Social Security offices, increased wait times, and backlogs for Americans trying to access their earned benefits.
- Does not fully fund the Emergency Food Program (TEFAP) by $20 million while working families face rising food costs and would leave 25,000 seniors unable to participate in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
- Puts Small Business Administration programs that benefit entrepreneurs, including veteran-owned small businesses and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, at risk of being cut or eliminated.
- Puts funding for some Veterans Health Administration (VHA) programs, such as homelessness assistance grants, mental health care, rural health, opioid and substance abuse programs, some oncology programs, and caregivers support, at risk by not specifying funding amounts. The administration could redirect these funds to other purposes or eliminate them all together.