| DeFazio Comments on County Payments Vote | | Print | |
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February 1, 2007 WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio issued the following statement on his vote in favor of H.J.Res.20, the Continuing Resolution, in the House yesterday. Last year, the Republican-led Congress failed to pass 10 of the 13 appropriations bills that fund the federal government. Funding for those remaining 10 appropriations bills was combined into H.J. Res.20 which will provide funding for federal agencies and programs through September, which is the end of the 2007 federal fiscal year. "On Tuesday, Congressman Walden and I filed an amendment to the Continuing Resolution to reauthorize and fund the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act for one year," DeFazio said. "We were not allowed to offer the amendment. However, there was a procedural vote which would have allowed a vote on the amendment. I broke with my party leadership on that vote in order to force a vote on the amendment. It's is virtually unprecedented to vote against one's leadership on procedural votes. My vote got the attention of the Democratic leadership and I got a meeting with Speaker Pelosi to discuss the dire need to reauthorize and fund county payments. As a result of that meeting, I feel we have a good opportunity to get county payments included in the Emergency Supplemental funding bill. "I voted against my party on the procedural motion to get the leadership's attention and support for the county payments that are so vital to Oregon counties, and I was successful in my effort. Once we failed to get a vote on the DeFazio-Walden amendment, I voted for the Continuing Resolution to keep the federal government running, and to ensure continued funding for critical programs like veterans health care, Pell grants and Head Start, fire management programs and local and federal law enforcement programs." The Continuing Resolution passed by a vote of 286-140, with 57 Republicans voting with the Democrats to continue funding for the federal government. Click here for a PDF copy of a letter sent to House leadership by Congressmen DeFazio and Walden urging them to include a one-year reauthorization of the program in H.J.Res 20, the Continuing Resolution. Click here for a PDF copy of a letter of thanks from the Association of Oregon Counties for Congressmen DeFazio and Walden's efforts to include the county payments program in the Continuing Resolution. |