Four Tennessee U.S. representatives voted against a continuing resolution on Thursday that would fund the government through March 1 and March 8.
The continuing resolution passed the House of Representatives by a 314-108 vote.
U.S. Representatives Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01), Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), John Rose (R-TN-06), and Mark Green (R-TN-07) all voted against the resolution, while U.S. Representatives Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) and David Kustoff (R-TN-08) voted with the majority.
U.S. Representatives Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) and Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) were among the 11 members who did not vote.
Green said his vote against the resolution “was a vote against the status quo, a vote against reckless spending, and a vote against stealing from our future generations.”
See my statement on why I voted against the Continuing Resolution⬇️https://t.co/jxk84WiboN pic.twitter.com/i12n7554tv
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) January 18, 2024
“I cannot in good conscience allow Pelosi-era spending to continue…I am not willing to mortgage our future in order to satisfy the Swamp,” Green said in a statement. “We are witnessing record deficits and a record national debt. Two weeks ago, our debt reached $34 trillion. That is unheard of and completely unsustainable. As they say, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”
Green added that he will not vote “for any additional funding that doesn’t force President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to secure the border” moving forward.
Rose, who also voted against the temporary spending measure, said Tennesseans “deserve better than this short-sided and careless approach to funding the federal government that does nothing to secure our border or cut the bloated spending that caused inflation.”
Congress should cancel any planned recess days until we can get our work done and deliver a funding bill that secures our border and cuts wasteful spending.
Anything else is a disservice to the Tennesseans I represent. pic.twitter.com/J5T7rOO8P7
— Congressman John Rose (@RepJohnRose) January 18, 2024
Rose further called on Congress to “cancel any planned recess days” until a full budget is passed.
Harshbarger said she voted no on “continuing to fund a government that has been weaponized against its citizens and has allowed an invasion to occur at our southern border.”
Today, I voted NO on continuing to fund a government that has been weaponized against its citizens and has allowed an invasion to occur at our southern border.
It’s past time we put our future generation first by securing our border and stopping continued spending that only…
— Rep. Diana Harshbarger (@RepHarshbarger) January 18, 2024
“It’s past time we put our future generation first by securing our border and stopping continued spending that only adds to an increase in our national debt,” Harshbarger added.
Burchett described the resolution as “can-kicking down the road,” adding that the legislation is “jammed full of all kinds of woke stuff that we don’t need.”
Congress’s legs ought to be tired from all this can-kicking down the road we are doing on our budget. pic.twitter.com/7ER5TEqPN4
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) January 18, 2024
“It’s just pathetic, really,” Burchett added.
Earlier on Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted to pass the continuing resolution by a 77-18 vote.
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) voted against the resolution, while Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) voted with the majority.
The continuing resolution now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for signature.
The resolution passage results from another failed attempt by lawmakers to pass a budget to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. Last November, instead of passing a budget, lawmakers passed a continuing resolution to temporarily fund certain government agencies up until this Friday and others until February 2.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Randy, amen.
I wonder why Ogles didn’t vote?
Overall, the GOP House majority has been a disappointment. Unfortunately, this seems to happen every time they have a majority. They complain and ask for money when the Dems are in charge, then do NOTHING substantial to honor the campaign promises they made.
Trump alone cannot save this country, he will need TRUE conservative in both the House and Senate.
As a nation, we need MAGA Republicans to step up and run to oust Reps who continue to vote against fiscal responsibility (a balanced budget) and closing the border, among other issues.
It is past time for representatives like Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) and David Kustoff (R-TN-08) to be voted out of office.