Political Quotes

“I thank the distinguished woman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in reluctant support of this continuing resolution, which would keep the government open until December 20, 2019. As has been stated, but can't be stated enough, the House has done its job. We passed our appropriations bills earlier this summer. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to act in time, and now we are kicking the can down the road yet again with a second CR. A CR is destructive for our Federal agencies, but we need to keep the government open, obviously. Fortunately, this CR has a few provisions that make this bitter medicine more palatable. It once again includes critical health extenders for Medicare and Medicaid programs and for other benefit programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Notably, the bill also restores necessary funding for the Census Bureau as it gears up for the 2020 Census, and it includes a 3.1 percent pay raise for our troops. As chairwoman of the Appropriations Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I happily support this necessary pay raise for our servicemembers. But let me make this clear: We cannot responsibly govern by an endless series of destructive continuing resolutions. These Band-Aids keep the lights on but serve as de facto spending cuts for our Federal agencies, and they handcuff short and longer term budget and project planning.…”