Tom Cole: “Mr. Speaker, last year, Democrats initiated the longest full government shutdown in American history. It severely…”

“Mr. Speaker, last year, Democrats initiated the longest full government shutdown in American history. It severely impacted families, agencies, personnel, and services across the Nation. What should have been a lesson on how not to treat hardworking Americans has instead become routine for Senator Schumer and Senate Democrats. Today marks day 41 of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, already the longest partial shutdown on record. In just 3 days, it will surpass even last year's historic lapse, further compounding the harm to our national security and the workforce charged with protecting it. There are many ways to measure the damage, yet every metric reflects a burden on our citizens. We can look at time. DHS has been comprehensively shut down for close to 50 percent of the fiscal year. That is nearly 100 days of dysfunction and counting. We can look at personnel. More than 100,000 employees have missed paychecks. We can look at travel. Airports across the Nation are experiencing severe lines and delays as TSA callout rates soar. We can look at contingency funds. FEMA's disaster relief fund is nearly empty. The list doesn't end there, yet it makes clear exactly what Senate Democrats have chosen. But today, we are once again providing our colleagues across the aisle an opportunity to stop the chaos.”