Ted Deutch: “A 2-week extension to fund the government may prevent a shutdown, but it will not change the fact that a serious choice…”

“A 2-week extension to fund the government may prevent a shutdown, but it will not change the fact that a serious choice lies before this Congress. Will 2011 be a year in which we continue to grow our economy, a year that builds on the over 1 million private sector jobs created in 2010, or will it be remembered as the year extremists ignored the warnings of world-class economists at Moody's Analytics and Goldman Sachs and allowed our economy to shrink by over 700,000 jobs? Will 2011 be a year in which we prepare America's children to compete in a global economy, or will it be the year that right-wing extremists and Congress defied common sense, cutting Pell Grants, blaming teachers for the deficit, and punishing struggling school districts across America for a financial crisis they did not cause? In 2 weeks, these choices will once again come before this Congress. I implore the Republican leadership to seize this opportunity, not for partisan gain but for America's gain. Let's reduce the deficit in a way that does not jeopardize our recovery and make 2011 a year we move forward instead of backwards.”