WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) voted today for a stopgap spending measure to keep the government running when the new budget year begins on Tuesday.

The resolution passed 54-44 after the Senate stripped out a provision that had been inserted by the House to defund the Affordable Care Act. 

“People can disagree about the Affordable Care Act, but it is wrong for right-wing Republicans to ignore the results of the last election and hold the American people hostage by threatening to shut down the government because they can’t get their way,” Sanders said.

The House now must decide whether to go along with the Senate version and send a funding bill to President Barack Obama before a midnight Monday deadline. “What happens in the House depends on whether House Speaker John Boehner listens to his right-wing extremists or whether he’s prepared to work with Democrats and moderate Republicans to continue funding the government,” Sanders said.

A partial government shutdown would directly affect thousands of federal workers in Vermont.  

“Shutting the government down will disrupt the economy and cost us jobs. It would also mean that thousands of Vermont federal employees would not get the paychecks they deserve. Incredibly, it could deny or delay paychecks for the men and women in our military, in the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.  It could also result in the cessation of funding for Head Start Centers, the Meals on Wheels program and the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program and many others that are important to working families.”