The Senate Wednesday rejected a unanimous consent request to consider Sen. Dan Sullivan’s (R-Alaska) bill to ensure military pay during a government shutdown.
The objection came from Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who said lawmakers should focus on preventing a shutdown altogether.
“There are a lot of programs I care about, a lot of programs we all care about, that would be hurt by a shutdown,” Murray said. “We are not going to solve this problem one by one, bit by bit, carve-out by carve-out. You do not stop a flood one drop at a time. You build a dam.”
The House and Senate are working on separate continuing resolutions with no agreement on how to avoid a government shutdown when the fiscal year ends Saturday night.
Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacquelin Frost