Tim Walberg

I believe that this whole act that was put into law under the cover of darkness... is the reason to have this hearing today.

It is kind of ugly work, as well that we do, but it is necessary.

Again, 717,000 backlogged, benefit claims backlogged. There is work to be done, and that does not send a positive message.

The number two concern that is brought to my district office and my office here in Washington from my citizens back in my district are VA issues.

Over and over and over again, the President told the American people: If you like your health plan, you can keep it. If that were true, why then is Kaiser Health News reporting that ``health plans are sending hundreds of thousands of…

I would like to queue up an email that specifically refers to one of the lead planners of this conference and her concerns.

Five years of government by crisis has been taking place... A budget wasn't passed either of those 2 years.

I am sick of hearing of this shutdown called anything other than a Democrat shutdown.

We have offered four bills to fund the entire government, rejected by the Senate-controlled Senate.

I am concerned about the pain that will be coming even worse for Mayor Bryan and Ms. Eberly and other private concessioners.

As we all are well aware, a lot of emotion is in this Chamber and in this body at this time, and maybe that is the way it should be. We remember back to the first Constitutional Convention that it almost shut down as well, until Benjamin…

I just want to clear the record. I don't think there is a single person here who would say they relish the shutdown.

The fact that veterans may not get benefits because we are holding our breath right now in Congress is pretty disgusting to me.

But I also think about the 59-year-old woman in Jackson, Michigan, who calls my office in tears, a single mother...

The fact that Head Start kids in my district, including in Beloit, Wisconsin, where, the day after I was there visiting, a bullet went through their window--it is in a pretty tough neighborhood. The fact that they are going to not have…

Though I believe, very clearly, leadership on the other side of the aisle relishes this shutdown taking place and the pain that it brings about for political reasons.

I appreciate the fact of concern from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that we treat Federal employees like human beings as well.

It is time for us to stand together and ask the Senate and the President to show leadership and negotiate to a solution.

The fact that I have so many Federal employees who are furloughed and aren't working, I don't relish that, and I am pretty disgusted by it.

I would wholeheartedly concur with the preceding speaker that we need wisdom, we need guidance. We don't want to shut this government down, and certainly we don't want to play politics--at least many of us--with our constituents' services…

So in other words there was a lot of flexibility that credits could still be claimed years down the road.

Almost before we finished our vote on the floor of the House calling for a conference committee to address concerns and try to face each other eye-to-eye, House-Senate, to come up with a solution, the phone lines were ringing and a…

We sincerely need true leadership at this time--great problems, great challenges, great divisions--and yet our President's first call last Friday to House leadership clearly indicated, in his own words, that he would not negotiate. How can…

There was a time when the Southern Poverty Law Center was a laudable civil rights organization, boldly combating bigotry and extremism. Such noble pursuits have been cast aside for partisan politics, and today the SPLC is better known for…

I love my country, but my government is a problem.