Political Quotes

“this Friday is our deadline to fund 25 percent of the Federal Government, which remains unfunded as a result of the short-term continuing resolution that was passed to keep it open until February 15, pending negotiations to deal with border security measures. During the last shutdown, for 35 days, we know that 800,000 Federal workers were not paid, including some 36,000 Texans. During that time, we heard about families who could not afford to buy the necessities of life, whether they be medicines or providing the funding to run the heat in their homes and to keep their utility bills low--families who went from donating food at food banks to then being a recipient of food at those food banks. Even though this all began as a battle over border security, the impact was much bigger. Employees from the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration--the folks in the blue shirts who usher us through security at airports--NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the IRS, and a whole host of other Federal Agencies were caught up in the crosshairs of our disagreements here and forced to deal with financial uncertainty for weeks on end. I personally believe that we were sent here to govern, not to preside over shutdowns, and that we make tough decisions every day here by negotiation and compromise. That is the way the Constitution contemplates how the legislative branch will act.…”