Senate Democrats Filibuster Defense Funding

• 31 Democrats supported the bill that authorizes our defense dollars, but they oppose the bill that actually appropriates them.

• The appropriations process is one of the basic parts of governing.

• Democrats did not have much enthusiasm for appropriations when they were in the majority, and they now stand in the way of Republicans trying to fulfill this basic responsibility.

Today, once again, Senate Democrats filibustered the motion to proceed to the defense appropriations bill. This bipartisan bill passed out of committee on a 27-3 vote. But Senate Democrat leadership has chosen filibuster instead of governing. Democrats also filibustered the bill on June 18.

In the last five years, Democrats had the opportunity to bring to the floor and debate an individual defense appropriations bill every single year. They chose not to – every single year. Over the last five years, the Senate could have debated and voted on 60 individual appropriations bills; the Senate only acted on three.

The defense spending bill was passed by the House on a bipartisan vote, with the support of 43 Democrats. It is only Senate Democrats who are standing in the way.