Tom Cole: “Well, thank you very much, Madam Chair. Thank you for holding this hearing.”

For anyone questioning this legislation, the facts are simple — it extends the government funding deadline to Dec. 4, denying any party the opportunity to manufacture leverage before elections.

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

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.

The Senate has wasted the entire year and a half. They have not passed a single bill.