Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, today voiced her strong opposition to the latest attempt by House Republicans to slash critical resources from the American people with an extreme Continuing Resolution. The stopgap measure, which would only keep the government open until October 31, 2023, cuts the vast majority of domestic programs by 30% across-the-board, including food assistance for women and children, wildland fire suppression programs, Section 8 housing funds, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, critical biomedical research, and dozens more vital investments. LIHEAP, which is a lifeline for thousands of Mainers who need help heating their homes, would see a 74% cut.

“Right now, there is a bipartisan path to avoiding the widespread devastation that a Republican government shutdown would cause, but Speaker McCarthy refuses to put forth any legislation that has Democratic support,” said Pingree. “If passed, this extreme Continuing Resolution will wreak havoc on the ability of the federal government to function and damage communities in Maine and across the country. It’s a non-starter. Once again, this completely unserious ‘resolution’ is nothing but political theater at the expense of Americans.”

In exchange for keeping the government open, House Republicans are: 

Slashing investments in the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Medical research into treatments and cures for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease would be cut with the reduction of 7,000 research grants. 

Furthering their goal of eliminating public education by cutting funding for Title I, IDEA, and Head Start. Cuts to Title I and IDEA would be the equivalent of removing nearly 150,000 teachers and service providers from classrooms serving low-income students and students with disabilities. And approximately 275,000 children would lose access to Head Start, undermining early education for children in low-income communities and parents’ ability to go to work. 

Decimating the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as temperatures begin to drop. In an unprecedented move, House Republicans have cut LIHEAP funding by roughly 74 percent. More than 5 million low-income households would lose their home heating or cooling benefits or have their benefits cut by hundreds of dollars —threatening their ability to heat their homes in winter or cool their homes in summer. 

Failing to support communities recovering from natural disasters. In the midst of hurricane season and with several response and recovery efforts to major disasters underway, this bill harms FEMA’s readiness by failing to address the urgent need for additional Disaster Relief Funds to address existing shortfalls and respond to future unknown disasters. 

Undercutting our critical allies like Israel and Ukraine. Cuts to Foreign Military Financing (FMF) threaten critical support for allies like Israel and Jordan. This extreme funding bill not only fails to include requested additional resources for Ukraine and surrounding partners, but it also cuts Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia (AEECA) by 59 percent. 

Defunding law enforcement. This extreme Republican funding bill would effectively reduce the numbers of FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration agents and other Federal law enforcement officers, and it would also eliminate hundreds of state and local law enforcement officer positions across the country. This will make our communities less safe, as fewer law enforcement officers will be apprehending violent fugitives, fighting fentanyl and other opioid trafficking, countering cybersecurity threats, and fighting domestic and international terrorism.

Halting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operations including air traffic controllers. FAA operations would come to a standstill, as hiring and training of new air traffic controllers and safety inspectors would freeze, causing delays in certifying pilots, drone operators, and aircrafts and adding to the chaos of getting in and out of airports nationwide. 

Closing Social Security Administration Field Offices. The Social Security Administration would be forced to close field offices and reduce access to in-person services, and people applying for disability benefits would wait additional months for processing of claims. 

Neglecting our water infrastructure by cutting funds to the Army Corps of Engineers. House Republicans are cutting funds to the Army Corps of Engineers Construction activities by 31 percent. With $2.7 billion slashed from the Corps of Engineers’ Construction activities, projects critical to waterway navigation of supply chains, reducing flood and storm damage, or providing ecosystem restoration would freeze. 

Taking food out of the mouths of children, families, and seniors. With the sharp increase in caseload, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has barely half of the resources it needs to keep feeding people. The program needs a 32 percent increase. Instead, House Republicans are cutting it by 30 percent. Other nutrition services, such as Meals on Wheels, would also be cut for more than 1 million seniors. 

Raising the costs of food by threatening food safety and supply. House Republicans are threatening public health by cutting Food Safety and Inspection Service by 30 percent. This cut makes our meat and poultry less safe to consume. Plants that produce these products provide jobs in rural communities. Without adequate federal inspection staffing, plants will be statutorily required to close or reduce operating hours, thus hurting workers’ paychecks, reducing the meat and poultry supply, and raising the cost of food. 

Implementing unfair trade practices to boost China. Republicans’ dangerous CR weakens the United States’ efforts to fight the unfair trade practices of the People’s Republic of China and other competitors, by reducing trade enforcement personnel at the Commerce Department, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and U.S. International Trade Commission. 

Hindering wildfire suppression efforts. As communities continue to fear the next deadly wildfire, House Republicans are cutting Wildfire Suppression by 57 percent, a $2.4 billion cut. 

Turning their backs on America’s small businesses. The Small Business Administration (SBA), Entrepreneurial Development Programs would be cut by 30 percent. This means approximately 400,000 fewer small businesses would be assisted. This would have a significant impact on underserved communities such as Veterans, Women, and Native American entrepreneurs. 

Slashing resources for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Opioid Use Disorder treatment. The Republican CR cuts funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by 38 percent. More than 1 million people facing a suicidal or mental health crisis would be unable to access support services through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and tens of thousands of individuals would be denied admission to opioid use disorder treatment, denying them a potentially life-saving path to recovery. 

Upending public safety, education, and other investments in Tribal communities. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) serves 574 federally recognized Tribes in areas such as social services and Indian child welfare, reservation roads, energy development, Tribal public safety, justice, law enforcement, and other fundamental services that have been historically underfunded. In this bill, House Republicans are cutting the BIA by 30 percent, slashing resources for education programs, school repairs, and facility construction projects. Professional staff, principals, and school administrators would all be at risk of losing their jobs.

Curtailing mineral and energy development impacting jobs and local economies. A reduction of 30 percent would impact onshore oil and gas operations and inspections for the roughly 34,400 Federal onshore oil and gas leases and the roughly 30,000 inspections done across 32 States. This would increase public safety and health risks and delay work needed to maintain oil and gas programs. It would also derail permitting for energy and other infrastructure and renewable energy projects bringing the associated jobs and economic growth to a standstill. 

Cutting loans and grants for farmers and rural communities. House Republicans are making it harder for farmers to access loans and grants making farm ownership more difficult. They are also cutting Rural Housing Service and Rural Utility Service programs that support single family home loans, rental assistance, water and waste programs, electric resources, and access to broadband. 

Eliminating health care services for rural and underserved families. More than 2 million vulnerable individuals and families, including rural and underserved populations, would lose access to health care services through Community Health Centers.

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