Largely on party lines, House Republicans Wednesday voted to fund the District of Columbia, the National Institutes of Health and the National Park Service. 

The idea is to spare some parts of government from the shutdown, namely areas where there is generally bipartisan agreement. But most Democrats aren’t buying it.

Hawaii U.S. Reps. Colleen Hanabusa and Tulsi Gabbard voted “no” on the NIH vote, the parks vote and the Pay Our Guard and Reserve Act. The D.C. funding bill passed on a voice vote, and no Democrats voiced opposition.

In a press release Hanabusa said the House GOP was “cherry picking which agencies to fund while keeping the majority of the government shut down.” She said:

Yes, it is important to reopen our National Parks and fund the National Institutes of Health – but what about the rest of our federal workers who have bills to pay and families to support? What about the keiki who had to be dropped from Head Start programs or the seniors who rely on Meals on Wheels? What about the Food and Drug Administration that ensures our food is safe to eat, or the Environmental Protection Agency that is currently operating with only 7-percent of its staff? The list goes on and on. Are they not important too?

Photo:  Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. (Rajiv Patel (Rajiv’s View)

—Chad Blair