UPDATE (8:52 AM Central Time, January 18): U.S. Senator Mike Rounds has issued a statement this morning announcing he will vote for the continuing resolution. He says he has "received assurances that legislation to adequately fund our troops will be considered in both the House and Senate in a timely manner."
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through February 16th. The deadline to pass a funding measure is Friday by midnight.
U.S. Senator Mike Rounds says he is voting against the legislation as of Thursday. Rounds says continuing resolutions have taken place for more than 40 years in Congress and it's not the proper way to appropriate federal dollars.
Rounds says he supported a continuing resolution in September of 2017 with the understanding that Senate leaders would agree to a long-term solution to fund the government. He says that was not done in December and now another continuing resolution is under consideration. Rounds says that's not good enough.
"I'm just saying, 'so, what's been done? What's the progress being made? What do we have to show for these continuing resolutions - which don't allow the military to contract out for the services they need; doesn't allow them to do the modernization or the upgrades in their systems. And, at the same time, it sends a terrible message to the rest of the country about our inability to get our business done," Rounds says.
Rounds says the current proposal extends the Children's Health Insurance Program for six years, and delays three taxes related to the Affordable Care Act.
Other opponents of the continuing resolution include GOP Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Independent Senator Angus King of Maine.