On the recordOctober 1, 2013
The government is shut down today because Democrats like Harry Reid and the President refuse to negotiate. We, in the House, have sent not one, not two, not three, but four different spending proposals to the Senate. All were rejected without debate, and the Senate has refused to appoint conferees to even talk to us about it. This is now about more than ObamaCare. This is now a fundamental debate about how we work in a divided Congress. Republicans must work with Democrats. The House must work with the Senate, and the Congress must work with the President. During a Conference Call With Your Congressman last night that I hosted in the middle of all of this, Gloria Wilson from Corpus Christi said: You make us feel like we have a voice. Well, I am the voice of my constituents, and that's what we're doing here in the House. Compromise and coming together and doing what's right for the country is what the Founding Fathers intended when they set up two Houses of Congress and three branches of government. We, in the House, are ready, willing, and able to negotiate with the President and the Senate. What we're not willing to do is give up our constitutional responsibility as guardians of America's purse and voices of our constituents. ____________________
