Richard Gephardt: “let me explain why this is most certainly a question of privilege and why this Congress must finally reopen the Federal…”

“let me explain why this is most certainly a question of privilege and why this Congress must finally reopen the Federal Government, with no threats or conditions, while we work to resolve the budget impasse that we are involved in. The fact is that while we fight over the Federal budget, millions of Americans are being held hostage; and while some Republicans have even suggested that no one has noticed this Government shutdown, I think that is simply fiscal fantasy, not reality. Think about the frail, home-bound seniors who will not have their meals delivered on time, or at all. Think about the elderly who will not have their Medicare claims processed, and the jobless who will not receive their unemployment checks. Right now, crucial cleanups of toxic waste dumps have been stopped, and the Government's efforts to crack down on workplace abuses and nursing home atrocities are grinding to a halt. If you ask me, that is more than wrong; it is an abuse of power. It is an abuse of the responsibility the American people have placed in this Congress, and in each of us, when they elected us to serve them, not just to throw ideological tantrums. Even the Republicans in the other body have rejected the radicalism of this shutdown. The extremist approach says, if the President will not agree to a budget that slashes Medicare to give huge tax breaks to the wealthy, we are going to make the whole country suffer until we get our way.”