Susan Collins: “I had intended in my remarks to go through each of these bills and point out how critical they are to our communities…”

“I had intended in my remarks to go through each of these bills and point out how critical they are to our communities across America. The chair has done that to some extent, and she has also thanked our great team of appropriators for their very hard work. Instead of going through the provisions, I want to offer my colleagues a warning. If we do not act, at midnight tonight, we will have a partial government shutdown. It will affect the Department of Agriculture. It will impair the work of the Food and Drug Administration. It will prevent military construction projects from going forward. Do we really want a veteran who has bravely and loyally served his country and is now trying to file a claim for benefits to find that the Veterans Benefits Administration's doors are closed to him or her? Is that what we want to have happen? It also would affect the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Departments. We have an affordable housing crisis. Do we want more notices to go out to those who are working on transportation projects that they may lose their jobs if they are in the private sector because we didn't get our work done? It would affect the Department of Energy and the Army Corps of Engineers. Why in the world would we want to shut down government and stop serving the American people? I have heard a lot of statements made on the Senate floor and elsewhere that, regrettably, are not accurate.…”