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'This Is No Way To Govern:' Sen. King Launches Senate Caucus To Oppose Short-Term Budgets

Andrew Harnik
/
Associated Press/file
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, following Senate policy luncheons.

The temporary spending bill Congress passed a few weeks ago runs out on Friday, and Republican leaders are talking about yet another short-term spending bill. That's something Maine U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent, says he would support - reluctantly - if the goal is to pass a budget for the rest of the year.

"It then takes two or three weeks to a month for the Appropriations Committee to do the detailed work of allocating those funds," King says, "and that would require a continuing resolution."

King is so upset at the continued use of short-term, stop-gap spending bills he has launched a new Senate caucus group to oppose the use of continuing resolutions. King says he opposes just kicking the can down the road with no clear plan to pass budget bills for the rest of the year.

“That’s ok, that’s what I would call a technical, in order to get the paperwork done. But if it is just punting the decision back another month, that is what is really starting to bother me," he says. "This is no way to govern.”

King says if leaders need another few weeks to finalize the budget bills to get through next October, he will consider voting for another short-term measure.

 
 
 

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.