Concord, N.H. — Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) released the following statement about how close our country came to a government shutdown, her efforts to build broad bipartisan support for a long-term government funding deal, and the work that lies ahead to fully fund the government and deliver for hardworking New Hampshire families. 

“As Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, I have consistently called on Speaker Kevin McCarthy to stop playing politics with our economy and national security and to work with Democrats to fund the government. Unfortunately, he ignored these calls and continued catering to the most extreme wings of his party, refusing to work in a bipartisan way until the 11th hour.

Luckily, level heads prevailed, and Congress passed a bipartisan funding agreement to keep the government open for the next 45 days. I was proud to be a part of the solution, coordinating with the White House and working to bridge the divide between reasonable Republicans and Democrats to end this chaos.

While I’m relieved we prevented this crisis in the short term for thousands of families across New Hampshire, we should have never gotten that close. Government does best when Democrats and Republicans work together to deliver for the American people. That is especially true when it comes to keeping our government open. I’m proud to bring that New Hampshire way of thinking to Washington.

In the weeks and months ahead, Congress will continue to negotiate long-term government funding. In those conversations, I will keep urging my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to work together to fund the government, lower the deficit and shrink our national debt, enhance border security, and more to deliver for New Hampshire.”

Kuster is Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of nearly 100 moderate Democrats working to find common-sense solutions in Congress, and played a critical role in passing the funding deal. 

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