Joseph Knollenberg: “Mr. Chairman, the President announced this morning that he would veto the bill in its current form. Apparently it falls…”

“Mr. Chairman, the President announced this morning that he would veto the bill in its current form. Apparently it falls, still, $8 billion, some say $12 billion, short of quenching his appetite for Government spending. The message of the White House seems to be, ``Ignore what we said 6 weeks ago. We want the era of big government to continue just a little bit longer.'' In fact, the President has indicated that if we try to hold him to his State of the Union address and the promise, he is going to shut down, I repeat, he is going to shut down government again. I think it is important that the media and the public understand what is happening here. The President wants to spend billions more on Government programs. If he does not get it, he will shut down government again. It is the same old broken record that we have been hearing since the beginning of this debate. I would warn the President, shutting down the Government will not reap him political gain, so let us stop playing chicken. Instead, let us move forward. We must pass this bill and go to conference. The President needs to stop threatening a shutdown and start bargaining in good faith.”