Tom Cole: “Your focus on this issue has been unrelenting and I think appropriate.”

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

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

The only reason we’re doing it now is, first, the Senate Democrats, I think, have misused the filibuster, and honestly, the Republicans have let them misuse the filibuster.

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.