WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement after voting to move forward on debate on legislation that would keep the government funded through December 16:

“Government shutdowns are pointless and painful and should be avoided whenever possible. I’m glad that the Senate was able to move forward tonight on legislation to keep the government up and running. My complaints have fallen on deaf ears over the years, but it’s still worth pointing out that the process by which Congress decides whether or not to keep the government functional is, in fact, pretty dysfunctional. We can and should do better than continuing resolution after continuing resolution.

“While the permitting reform proposal from Senator Manchin was dropped from this bill, I agree that we still need to take sensible steps to reduce European dependence on Russian energy while maintaining an affordable and resilient supply here at home. I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact reforms to our existing permitting process that protect our national and economic security, but also respect concerns voiced by those communities most impacted by these projects.”

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