Boehner: Stopgap Measure A "Responsible" Step

By Rachel Christiansen

House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that the temporary one week funding measure that passed 247 to 181 was the “responsible” thing to do, despite the President’s threat to veto an additional continuing resolution.

“We believe that the cuts attached to this are nothing that’s any deal breaker,” Boehner told reporters shortly before the vote.

While the stopgap measure funds the government for an additional week, it also makes $12 billion in cuts. It also contains language to keep the Pentagon funded until September.

Democratic leadership voiced strong resistance to the bill, noting that it contains policy riders aimed at Medicare and abortion funding.

“It’s been a long time practice of the House and the Senate to not only set spending levels but also dictate how that money is to be spent,” Boehner said of the riders. “So the house worked its will.”