On the recordOctober 11, 2013
The House Republicans don't want to reopen the government. If they did, all they have to do is bring up the Senate clean resolution and pass it here on the floor today. It'll go back to the Senate--I don't even know if it has to go back to the Senate--and the President has already agreed to sign it. They are keeping the government closed as hostage because they want to negotiate--I don't even know what anymore. Initially, it was because they wanted to repeal or defund the Affordable Care Act. I'm not sure it is even that anymore. I think sometimes they just want to keep the government closed to show that they can. Clearly, the budget numbers are there. We have agreed to their budget numbers, so that is not the issue. So, Speaker Boehner, please bring up a clean resolution today. The impact on the economy is getting to be more and more devastating every day. As my colleagues have mentioned, more and more jobs are being lost. Instead of losing jobs, Speaker Boehner, we should be here trying to create jobs and use the government to work with the private sector to create jobs and grow the economy. Don't continue to keep this government shut down. It is 2 weeks now, and the longer it goes on, the more it is going to have an impact on the economy and make it more difficult to create jobs. We will continue to lose jobs. Bring up the clean resolution, Mr. Speaker. ____________________
