McClellan Statement on House Republicans’ Hyper-Partisan Continuing Resolution

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after she voted no on H.R. 9494, the Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act of 2025: 

“The federal government will shut down in less than two weeks absent a continuing resolution, with catastrophic impacts for hardworking American families who rely on critical federal services like Social Security, SNAP benefits, and more. A shutdown would disproportionately impact the Commonwealth of Virginia, with one of the largest populations of federal employees and active-duty service members in the country who would be forced to work without pay. Despite the very real threats, House Republicans keep wasting time and putting politics over people. 

“For months, House Democrats have stood ready to work with Speaker Johnson and the Republican conference to pass a clean Continuing Resolution to extend current funding levels to the end of the year and allow Congress the time to pass the twelve appropriations bills necessary to fully fund the federal government for the 2025 fiscal year. However, Speaker Johnson rejected these opportunities and wasted time sending a hyper-partisan bill to the floor that he knew would not pass. To appease the most extreme wing of his party, Speaker Johnson included in his funding bill the SAVE Act, a restrictive, anti-voter bill that will drastically limit access to the ballot box for American citizens.

“The SAVE Act seeks to address mythical “non-citizen voting,” which is already illegal and punishable by up to five years in prison, despite no evidence of widespread occurrences. Their bill would implement burdensome proof-of-citizenship requirements to register to vote with very few acceptable forms of identification. Drivers’ licenses and other state-issued IDs, including military and Tribal IDs, would not be acceptable forms of proof of citizenship. The only forms House Republicans deem appropriate are those that cost money, such as a passport. That is a modern-day poll tax on American citizens. 

“I swore my oath of office on the Bible in which my father kept his poll tax receipt as a reminder of the obstacles my family faced to vote, the progress we have made as a nation, and the work still left to do to uphold our country’s promise of a democracy by, of and for the people. I refuse to support Republicans’ poll tax legislation. I voted no on today’s Continuing Resolution. 

“I urge Speaker Johnson and House Republicans to abandon their partisan approach to governance. It’s past time they realize that in divided government, they must work across the aisle to develop and pass legislation that meets the needs of the American people. House Democrats stand ready to pass a clean Continuing Resolution that provides Congress with the necessary time to finish its work on the twelve appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2025.” 

H.R. 9494 failed on a vote of 202 Yays, 220 Nays, and 2 Present votes. Last month, McClellan spoke out on the House floor against Republicans’ SAVE Act. Watch her speech here. Read the full text of H.R. 9494 here.