Dear John,

Welcome to your Weekly Wrap, a recap of the week in Congress and highlights of my work.  

On Saturday, the House passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government funded for 45 days and avoid a government shutdown.  This legislation only passed because of House Democrats. In a final tally of 335 –91,  90 members of the Republican conference voted against the legislation to fund the government brought to the floor by Speaker McCarthy. House Democrats stood firm on behalf of the American people to avoid a government shutdown. 

The short-term spending measure passed in the Senate and was signed into law by President Biden late Saturday night.

In May, Democrats and Republicans came to a bipartisan agreement to serve as the framework for funding the government. This agreement was quickly walked back as the Republican conference threatened extreme cuts of 30% or more to federal programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and HeadStart.  Their extreme legislation would have also resulted in 12,500 fewer personnel at the FBI, 1,000 fewer agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and 500 fewer members of local law enforcement.  

House Democrats did not get everything we wanted in this Continuing Resolution (CR) - most notably support for the people of Ukraine. We did however, work to keep the government open and working for the American people despite the chaos, confusion, and dysfunction on full display in the Republican conference.  

Over the next 45 days, the House will consider the remainder of the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills. I will continue to work with my colleagues to work towards a budget that is fair and serves the needs of the people of the Fifth District of Connecticut and across the country.  

I will continue to keep you updated throughout the process.

Jahana Hayes

Member of Congress