Sheila Jackson Lee: “Let me be very clear: We cannot shut this government down. Mr. Speaker, 4 pages, 5 pages, or 20 pages of a stopgap…”

“Let me be very clear: We cannot shut this government down. Mr. Speaker, 4 pages, 5 pages, or 20 pages of a stopgap measure, the government cannot shut down. The rules of this House and Senate require the Congress to do its work. As the President said, we have the purse strings to be able to ensure that the government remains open; that law enforcement is paid; that Medicare and Medicaid are provided for our families and our seniors; that we are able to ensure that the young families of young soldiers, men and women of the United States military who put on the uniform unselfishly and are on the front lines, are paid. As we have seen, a number of tragic incidents have caused the loss of lives of the men and women in uniform, including many of our tragic flight incidents. We have lost many lives over this last year, including those who are in combat. Mr. Speaker, are you telling me that we are not going to put pen to paper and work together, work with the Budget Committee that I sit on, to ensure that there are Members who will advocate for your Members to join in, without poison pills, of the funding of the CR? This paper allows us today to work through an extension until March 8 and an extension until March 22. It includes a response to our student loan crisis, which is extremely important. It ensures that the doors of the government remain open.…”