WASHINGTON — Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed another continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown. While it is a relief that essential government services will remain in operation for the time being, funding the government in the short-term through temporary stopgaps only continues to perpetuate the ongoing fiscal standoffs between our nation’s top leaders while threatening to disproportionately harm our most vulnerable communities.
This news came on the same day the U.S. government released its Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5), underscoring the urgent need to accelerate the pace of climate action in order to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis, like the extreme weather events seen across the country this summer. Despite the evident necessity for sustained, bold action on climate to safeguard our most vulnerable, Republican lawmakers persist in jeopardizing government operations by threatening shutdowns. Such actions only stand to harm frontline communities precisely when agencies should be well-funded in order to address the pressing problems linked to the climate crisis.
We urge lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to ensure that negotiations lead to long-term funding that does not contain any significant cuts or poison pill bills which threaten to harm and hold hostage our most vulnerable communities including those most devastated by the impact of the climate crisis.
Following the news of the US House passing a short-term spending bill which averts a government shutdown, GreenLatinos Founding President and CEO, Mark Magaña, released the following statement:
“Our community is relieved that the U.S. House has passed a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown that does not cut funding for our priorities. Our relief may be short-lived with the ongoing threat of cuts to critical programs or a potential shutdown in early 2024.
We call on Democratic and Republican lawmakers in both chambers of Congress to ensure we seek a permanent solution to the ongoing fiscal battle and find a solution that does not hold hostage the critical programs that serve our comunidades.
Any long-term solution to the ongoing spending bill fight must not have any environmental, conservation, or immigration poison pill rider bills attached nor any significant cuts to the bold climate investments that will move our country in a new clean renewable energy future.
GreenLatinos will oppose any legislation that threatens our communities and the advancements achieved over the last two years.”
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GreenLatinos (NOTE: GreenLatinos is ONE WORD) is an active comunidad of Latino/a/e leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.
