Washington -- Earlier today, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned that even an across-the-board reauthorization of programs could be problematic, telling CQ "We need to look at that. It's not totally clean." Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, was less clear, but emphasized the need to keep the CR "as clean as we can, because the object here is to prevent a shutdown." Heritage Action released the following statement from chief executive officer Michael A. Needham:
"By continuing to discuss Ex-Im in the context of the CR, House Republicans are breathing life into the very shutdown narrative they are trying to avoid. Republicans can end the drama by passing a clean CR and leaving it to President Obama to defend taxpayer handouts to Russian oligarchs and Chinese airlines. No one is talking about rejecting a clean funding bill except congressional Democrats and the K Street lobbyists being paid to save Ex-Im's corporate welfare."