Tom Cole: “I really want to say how much I appreciate the fact that at every point in your testimony that you talked about…”

Our conference refuses to let the obstruction and inaction of Senate Democrats trigger another manufactured shutdown at the end of September. That is why we are acting before a funding lapse crisis, not in response to it.

We want to take away the possibility of a shutdown between now and the election.

It gives the nation and our constituents certainty, certainty that the government will remain open, certainty that our service members will be paid.

It reinforces support for key allies - like Israel and Taiwan - and directly counters threats from Communist China and other regimes that challenge our interests and principles.