Political Quotes

“This Republican shutdown is an outrageous abdication of Congress' responsibility. It didn't need to be this way. In fact, if the House leadership were to call up a clean continuing resolution appropriations bill today it would pass. There are a sufficient number of votes from both sides of the political aisle to pass the measure. So far, however, the House Republican leadership has refused to do so, afraid of extremists within its own caucus--the so- called Ted Cruz Tea Party faction--whose demand is to shut down the government until the Affordable Care Act is either repealed or delayed. So the American people's government has shut down. Ninety percent of the employees of the Environmental Protection Agency have been furloughed. Eighty-four percent of the employees of the Department of Interior all over the country, but mostly in the Western States, have all been furloughed. Seventy percent of the employees of our essential intelligence agencies have now been furloughed. Recipients of the Women, Infants, and Children program, the most vulnerable mothers and children, have had their livelihoods jeopardized. The National Institutes of Health have had to turn away 30 children with cancer from clinical trials. We in this House must end this shutdown. This debate isn't even about the budget.…”