Dec. 20—Rep. Chellie Pingree called for an end to the “dysfunction and chaos” on Capitol Hill Friday with a shutdown of the federal government set to take effect at midnight Friday.
Pingree, a Democrat representing Maine’s 1st Congressional District, joined nearly all other Democrats and a few dozen Republicans in the House of Representatives in voting against a latest spending plan proposed by House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday. Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, also voted against the plan.
That vote came after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire businessman Elon Musk urged Republicans to reject an earlier deal that would have funded the government through mid-March. Pingree was prepared to support that plan.
On Friday, Congress faced a midnight deadline to pass a spending plan or risk a government shutdown.
In a written statement Friday, Pingree said that lawmakers who voted against the latest plan Thursday were concerned about impacts on the national debt after Republicans led by House Speaker Mike Johnson included a debt-ceiling increase at the behest of Trump.
“Now, we’re just hours away from the government shutting down, less than a week before Christmas,” Pingree said. “Millions of people will be impacted by this Republican dysfunction and chaos. Families will struggle. Communities will suffer.”
This story will be updated.
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