Austin News

WASHINGTON – The Senate Democrat majority has received a failing report card for their failure to address urgent priorities, according to U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). In a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Cornyn expressed his disappointment with the lack of progress on key issues such as government funding, the National Defense Authorization Act, border security, and aid for Israel.

Senator Cornyn highlighted the delay in passing appropriation bills, stating, "The Majority Leader didn't attempt to put an appropriation bill on the Senate floor until mid-September, nearly three months after the first funding bill passed the Committee." This delay resulted in the need for multiple short-term continuing resolutions to fund the government, causing further uncertainty and inefficiency.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which should have been signed into law by the end of September, was also delayed. Senator Cornyn criticized the Majority Leader for pushing the deadline to the present time, leaving important defense matters unresolved.

Another issue of concern raised by Senator Cornyn was the delay in providing aid to Israel. He mentioned that the House passed a $14.3 billion supplemental appropriation on November 2, but six weeks later, no action has been taken in the Senate.

The Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization, which was set to expire at the end of September, was another area where progress was lacking. Senator Cornyn mentioned that a short-term extension was passed, but the necessary work to address long-term reauthorization has not been completed.

The Farm Bill, an important piece of legislation for the agricultural sector, was also left unfinished. Senator Cornyn expressed his disappointment in the majority's failure to prioritize and complete this crucial task.

Senator Cornyn criticized the pattern of waiting until the last minute to address these issues, resulting in the need for extensions and delays. He emphasized that this lackluster performance will have consequences, as the first four months of the following year will now be spent catching up on unfinished business.

In conclusion, Senator Cornyn stated, "Given this lackluster performance, this is one report card that our Democratic colleagues should be embarrassed to take home to their constituents." The Senate Democrat majority's failure to address key priorities has left important matters unresolved and created a backlog of work that will need to be tackled in the coming months.

To learn more, click on this link: https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-senate-democrats-get-failing-2023-report-card/