Democrats pan GOP ‘not so clean’ CR as shutdown looms

House Democrats are panning a Republican-backed bill to prevent a government shutdown.

Democrats are in a tough position in opposing the bill, which it set to come to floor.

The party takes aim at the bill for not including Ukraine aid, which the Senate includes in its bipartisan stopgap bill.

House Republicans are hopeful the new plan will quickly pass with bipartisan support. While the party rejects the Biden administration’s request for Ukraine aid, the stopgap does include disaster response and extends authorization for several key programs that face lapses at the end of the month.

“I don’t think it should be perceived by anybody as them making a deal with Democrats. It’s daring them not to vote for it,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said.

Some Republicans also see the move as a way to put attention back on Democrats, who have called for a “clean” bill with Ukraine and disaster aid, as GOP divisions over spending have dominated much attention on Capitol Hill in recent weeks.

“Because now the shutdown would be their fault if they don’t go for it, because this was the clean CR,” Crenshaw said, referring to the stopgap bill, which is also known as a continuing resolution (CR). “This is what they said they wanted.”

Senate Republicans, many of whom have backed a funding bill in their own chamber, are signaling support for the legislation.

In a one-pager put together by Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee, they slam the Republicans’ stopgap bill as being a “Not So ‘Clean’ Continuing Resolution” and instead push for the Senate’s stopgap bill. 

The party claims language in the House GOP’s bill could lead to members getting a “pay raise.”

Democrats also claim the House GOP plan would deny “critical additional resources to the Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid” and “lead to longer call times when borrowers reach out to their student loan services.”

The criticism comes as House Republicans have shifted in their spending strategy, which had been up until recently to bring up a more partisan plan to keep the government temporarily funded, along with steep spending cuts and changes to border security.

However, that plan fell apart after nearly two dozen hardline conservatives tanked the party’s stopgap bill on Friday, as Democrats of all stripes also came out against the legislation.