© 2024 Maine Public | Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

As Shutdown Drags On, King Urges Senate Colleagues To Adopt House Spending Bills

Jacquelyn Martin
/
Associated Press/file
In this Feb. 7, 2018 file photo Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, speaks about immigration on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Maine U.S. Sen. Angus King used a floor speech Friday to urge his Senate colleagues to adopt the spending bills passed in the House as a way to get more agencies funded for the rest of the budget year. While lawmakers have passed legislation to make sure federal workers eventually get paid, King says the action does not help the private sector that relies on federal  funding.

"There is no help for the contractors that are going to lose total income during this period, and some will be threatened with going out of business," King said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ycArlczKAo

King, an independent, said the Senate should go along with the House and pass the other six funding bills, and reduce the disruption caused by the partial shutdown while a budget for the Department of Homeland Security is negotiated.

"You can say, 'OK, this little smokehouse can survive, that family will find a place to live, they can live. ' But if you multiply these examples by thousands and millions, you are talking about a really substantial effect on real people’s lives," King said.

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