Sen. Mark Warner says he won’t accept a paycheck if lawmakers fail to agree on a funding plan to prevent an impending government shutdown.
Mr. Warner said he was ready to vote in favor of a $78 billion spending cut agreement that was reached Thursday night but then suspended as Republicans demanded a plan that stripped funding from Planned Parenthood.
“Introducing other issues at the 11th hour isn’t the way to get a deal done and let the country move forward,” Mr. Warner said Friday afternoon, urging leaders to reach an agreement and worry about social issues next week.
A government shutdown has been on the horizon since February as Democrats, Republicans, and tea partiers continue to disagree over proposed spending cuts.
If lawmakers can’t even agree on a spending cut just to keep the government operating, Mr. Warner said he’s worried about how Congress will handle next year’s much larger deficit.
“What does it say about when we have to cut down the $14 trillion deficit,” he said.
• Paige Winfield Cunningham can be reached at pcunningham@washingtontimes.com.
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