Tester Condemns Failed Senate Vote to Fund Government, Avoid Default on America’s Bills

Senator: “Montanans sent me here to use common sense and do my job, not recklessly endanger the progress we’ve made rebuilding our economy after this pandemic”

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today condemned his colleagues across the aisle for shirking their most fundamental responsibility and blocking a continuing resolution that would fund the government beyond September 30th and avoid defaulting on America’s bills. Tester was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation to vote in favor of the resolution.

“My colleagues across the aisle were silent when the previous administration added more than $7 trillion to our national debt, and now they want to dine and dash without paying the bills, which could cost 6 million American jobs and hand control of the global economy to China,” said Tester. “It’s insanity to me that Mitch McConnell and his followers in the Senate want to shut down the government, blow up our economy, and jeopardize our standing as the world’s leading economic power all to play politics with the livelihoods of millions of Americans. Montanans sent me here to use common sense and do my job, not recklessly endanger the progress we’ve made rebuilding our economy after this pandemic.”

Raising the debt ceiling does not authorize new spending, rather it enables the government to pay for obligations that both parties have previously approved.

Senate Democrats voted with Senate Republicans three times to avoid the debt ceiling under President Trump and former Majority Leader McConnell, and Senate Republicans did not raise or suspend the debt ceiling unilaterally a single time under President Trump, despite voting for tax cuts and new spending that added more than $7 trillion to the national debt.