Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 266. Unfortunately, moving this bill across the House floor will not resolve the partial government shutdown, as the President has said he will not sign this bill into law. It is the job and responsibility of Congress to appropriate funds. We must come together to find a solution that will reopen the government and fund border security. We need a compromise that represents the will of both Chambers and the American people. By considering the Senate-passed version of the appropriations bill, we are eliminating House Members' involvement in the process. This bill in particular ignores 93 percent of all House Member requests that were included in our bill, including the 50 amendments that were adopted on the floor. This appropriations bill for the Interior Department fails to include the $12 million that House Members provided to U.S. Geological Survey programs, like the earthquake early warning system that saves lives. It also reduces the amount of funds available to clear dead and dying trees from forests, to help prevent the kind of devastating wildfires we saw this year, by $21 million. We have heard a lot about the National Park Service during this shutdown. This bill reduces funding for our national parks by $27 million. These are just a few of the priorities of the House that are not included in this bill before us today.…”