Rep. Tim Burchett again votes against government funding bill: 'It's just pathetic, really'

Congress just avoided another government shutdown by passing a third emergency stopgap measure of this fiscal year. U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of Knoxville was in the minority who voted against it.

The resolution would require Congress to fund the government by two different deadlines, March 1 and 8, much like the stopgap measures under which the government is currently operating.

"We're $34 trillion in debt, so I want a real budget with a discussion on individual terms," Burchett said in a statement. "I would like to see no deficit spending and border security. We can't keep taking in $5 trillion and spending $7 trillion, it just doesn't work."

Burchett isn't the only unhappy conservative Republican. The House Freedom Caucus said on X, formerly known as Twitter, the measure "is what surrender looks like."

Burchett is not a member of the caucus, but his views often align.

The bill cleared the House by a vote of 314-108, with two Democrats voting against.

It's the third time Burchett has voted against stopgap measures. In November, he was one of 93 GOP members to vote against the bipartisan effort, putting him in the minority among his Republican colleagues.

"We're not passing a budget, it's just jammed full of all kinds of woke stuff we don't need," Burchett said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "It's just pathetic, really."

That was a different reaction than former speaker Kevin McCarthy received from Burchett after he reached a stopgap measure deal with Democrats. Burchett was one of eight Republicans who joined Democrats to oust McCarthy from his position.

Burchett told Knox News through a spokesperson he still trusts Johnson, even after another stopgap measure passed.

"Kevin McCarthy had been in D.C. for nearly two decades and didn't follow through on his commitments as Speaker. Mike Johnson is a different man. He's never forgotten who put him here."

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tim Burchett again votes against government funding stopgap bill