WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement after the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives passed a temporary spending bill that will keep federal agencies funded through December 11, 2015, and avert a U.S. government shutdown: 

“The House and Senate have finally acted to ensure the federal government won’t shut down tonight. While this outcome is better than the alternative, only in Washington is it considered a resounding victory to merely keep the government open for a couple months at a time,” said Murphy. “Congress could have passed a long-term negotiated budget compromise long ago had Republicans not wasted untold amounts of time by attaching divisive social issues to crucial funding bills. Thanks to these short-sighted political games, we’ll be right back in the same position in a couple months.”

“People in Connecticut are tired of shutdown crises and manufactured controversies. They want us to work together to reach a long-term budget deal that creates jobs and protects the programs that people rely on,” Murphy added.