Political Quotes

“Yesterday, I met with a group of Federal workers in Tacoma to discuss the impacts of the government shutdown. One of the folks there was a prison guard. She told me that, without her paycheck, she didn't know if she could pay for childcare or for the prescriptions she needs after successfully fighting cancer just last year. Because of this shutdown, that is the conversation that is unfolding across 800,000 kitchen tables as Federal workers try to figure out how to scrape together mortgage payments and rent payments, trying to make due without a paycheck. This crisis doesn't just impact Federal workers. It hurts entire communities. It hurts the economy around Olympic National Park, such as hotel owners and restaurateurs, when people cancel their visit to the park because of the shutdown. It affects college students, prospective home buyers, and small business owners who won't have access to Federal loans because of this shutdown. Madam Speaker, while we can have a legitimate discussion about immigration reform, America doesn't need a wall. It doesn't need a 5th century answer to a 21st century challenge. America needs an open government. The Senate and the President can and should make this happen right now. ____________________”