Burgess Owens: “Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise in support of this motion because this motion will ensure that the members of the armed…”

“Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise in support of this motion because this motion will ensure that the members of the armed services will be paid in the event of a government shutdown. There is no group who deserves our support more than the members of the armed services. As a veteran myself, I recognize the implications of failing to pay those members of the armed services who have given their time, their energy, their blood and, in many cases, their lives in support of our freedom, the freedom that allows us to be here today and to have this heated debate over the direction of our country. When I look around at what will happen if we fail to pass this motion, we know that the President has indicated he will veto the current underlying legislation, which means in effect we will be unable to pay our military men and women. The economic consequences to the communities in which our military men and women reside--in my case Fort Drum, as well as many active Reserve units in my district--would be horrific. They will not buy gasoline, they will not buy groceries, they will not buy clothes. There are tremendous economic consequences to the actions that we have failed to take. I have supported the continuing resolutions previously which have saved $51 billion from the budget.…”