Tom Cole: “This ability to respond and protect, you know, is, again, every bit as important as our ability to protect our fellow…”

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.

I hold the Democrats in the Senate most responsible, but I don’t excuse the Republicans for letting them do it.

We're going to be in a crunch time.