On the recordOctober 9, 2013
Yesterday I had a heart-wrenching conversation with a nurse employed at a military installation in my district. She has been furloughed because of the Republican government shutdown. As a Federal contract employee, she is terrified that she won't be able to recover her lost pay, putting her family at financial risk. ``We are the ones suffering,'' she told me. ``We are hardworking Americans working paycheck to paycheck. Something like this can destroy us.'' No piecemeal approach, no temporary fix here or there is going to put an end to this reckless shutdown. Only one bill is guaranteed to reopen all of the government--or even any part of it today--and put this nurse and hundreds of thousands of Americans like her back to work. It is time for the House to vote on the straightforward, Senate- passed funding bill. Mr. Speaker, let us vote. ____________________
