James Hill: “Mr. Speaker, I would share from my perspective that the shutdown was borne fully and irresponsibly by the United States…”

“Mr. Speaker, I would share from my perspective that the shutdown was borne fully and irresponsibly by the United States Senate, by just a handful of Democratic Senators with their leader, Mr. Schumer, that refused to keep the government open while we continue debates about something we do every day here, which is, what are the ways and means to fund the American Government. This House body under Speaker Mike Johnson with bipartisan vote, I might add, had a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open for those 42 days. Yet, 14 times, Senate Democrats denied funding to air traffic controllers, denied funding to farm assistance, and denied funding for all the Federal programs, inconveniencing States, hurting families, and hurting Federal workers. Further, perhaps, unlike some, I certainly gave up my pay for those 42 days by direction of this House. I was not going to be paid personally as a Member of Congress while we see this kind of lack of responsibility out of the Senate. Today, what we are talking about here in the most vigorous democracy in the land in our 250th year, we are talking about rejecting socialism that punishes freedom, punishes individual action, and tears families apart.”