Bob Filner: “my colleagues, I want to tell you very briefly the story of yet another Gingrich hostage. Mr. Gingrich and company are…”

“my colleagues, I want to tell you very briefly the story of yet another Gingrich hostage. Mr. Gingrich and company are not only shutting down the Government and shutting out Federal employees, they are causing real hardship for real American families, like the Blanchfills of Chula Vista in my district in southern California. Michael Blanchfill served his country for 20 years as a Navy medic. Several years ago, as he was about to be deployed for Desert Storm, he was diagnosed with Huntington's chorea, a fatal disease. Michael's wife, Loretta, has been forced to quit her job as a restaurant manager to care for her stricken husband. The Blanchfill's daughters, April and Rachel, also help care for their father, who can barely walk or talk. April has been inspired by her father's illness to study medical technology at Edutec Professional College, but now her studies are threatened because of the lack of funding due to the current shutdown. The Veterans' Administration Hospital in San Diego should provide therapy for Michael, but now no doctor is available to treat him nor will the VA supply him with a wheelchair during this shutdown, nor will the daycare for Michael be provided. And, of course, no home care will be available to permit Loretta to return to work. So Michael Blanchfill, a Navy veteran who served his country, desperately needs his country's help. As a medic, he was never taken a prisoner, but now he is a hostage, a Gingrich hostage to extremist demands.”