On the recordSeptember 20, 2013
As we all know, on September 30, the government will run out of funding. And I rise today to urge my colleagues here in Congress to stop the partisan bickering, to stop the games, and to work to avoid a government shutdown. For folks back home on the Olympic Peninsula and around Puget Sound, a shutdown would have serious consequences. Troops at Joint Base Lewis- McChord and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard could go without pay. The Olympic National Park could close to tourists. Senior citizens could be delayed in receiving checks for Social Security. Veterans may go without the benefits and the care that they have earned. Madam Speaker, I've spent the last 10 years working in economic development. The main thing that employers want from government is trust and predictability. And now, between sequestration and a potential government shutdown, Congress is on the cusp of fracturing both. What my constituents want is for us to get to work to solve our Nation's problems, not to make them worse. That's why we need to pass legislation as quickly as possible to avert this shutdown and then move forward on a bipartisan balanced budget that the American people deserve. ____________________
