Joe Donnelly: “here we are again. There is just over a week before funding runs out to keep our government open, and some in Congress…”

“here we are again. There is just over a week before funding runs out to keep our government open, and some in Congress are threatening to shut down the Federal Government again to advance their own political agendas. I have said before and I will say it again, most Hoosiers think Congress can play a role in improving the economy, but at the very least we shouldn't make things worse. That is exactly what Congress has done with the Export-Import Bank. The Ex-Im Bank helps level the playing field for American businesses, it helps protect and create jobs here at home, returns money to the Treasury, and over 100 companies in Indiana use the Ex-Im Bank. In July, some in Congress blocked the bipartisan effort to reauthorize the bank just so a few Members could play politics. As a result, the Export-Import Bank is unable to provide any new financing to American businesses. In fact, we just found out, we have already seen some companies moving American jobs overseas because of this. Despite the lessons learned just 2 years ago, we are once again debating whether Congress can meet its most basic needs and duties: keeping the government open. Frankly, it is embarrassing that some in Congress are willing to bring us to the brink of a government shutdown and would rather play games with our recovering economy than solve the problems and challenges in front of us. The truth is, there is reason to be optimistic in our country.…”