On the recordJanuary 24, 2018
on Monday, Democrats relented after 3 long days and allowed the government to reopen. They agreed to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government until February 8. I am glad they finally decided to fund the Children's Health Insurance Program on which 9 million vulnerable children rely as well as fund our military and essential government entities that could not operate during the shutdown. Now we have to work on other items that have been stalled and held hostage too. The first is disaster aid, which has been held up for months. The House of Representatives passed an $81 billion disaster relief bill back in December, but so far that package has gone nowhere in the Senate. That is incredibly disappointing and exacerbates the hardships to the victims of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey, as well as the folks out West who suffered extreme wildfires, floods, and mudslides. They need to get access to that $81 billion of disaster relief funding the House passed last December, but that too has been held hostage in the U.S. Senate. It is especially disappointing in my home State of Texas. I just got off the phone talking with Governor Abbott, who is perplexed--the kindest word I can think of--as to why we would continue to delay disaster relief to the people who suffered as a result of Hurricane Harvey. I am sure Governor Scott in Florida feels the same way. I am sure Governor Brown out in California feels the same way.…
Source
govinfo.gov




