Metro East Sun

U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) explained his support for the recently passed federal spending bill as the only way forward.

“My constituents are fed up with massive, must-pass bills that spend too much of their hard-earned money on too many things the federal government has no business being involved in,” Shimkus said. “But as President (Donald) Trump tweeted this week, ‘The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate which are not there!’ ”

The bill, which Trump signed into law, includes funding for measures from the last Obama-era budget. While the bill's approval prevented a government shutdown, it includes funding for measures Shimkus does not support.

“This is 2017 stuff we had to deal with,” Shimkus said. “It’s the backlog of spending bills from the previous administration. With all that finally behind us, Congress can now take up the first budget based upon President Trump’s priorities, and we can get to work on the 12 individual spending bills for the 2018 fiscal year that begins October 1. That open, transparent and deliberative process is where we get our leverage.”