On the recordMay 17, 2018
I stood in this very spot about 1 year ago urging Congress to do the work of the American people, the work they sent us here to do. I introduced a piece of legislation called the Do Your Job Act, which is simple. It would not allow Congress to go into recess unless we have actually done our work, passed all of our appropriations bills. Instead, I fear that we are going to find ourselves in the same crisis that we found ourselves in just a few months ago. That is why I was glad to see that the President recently said that we should cancel the August recess, if necessary, if we can't do our job. In just 2 months, we will once again adjourn for a month-long recess without a budget or getting all our appropriations done, to say nothing of the other issues that remain unresolved, like immigration--take your pick. Once again, if we don't make some hard choices, the government may shut down. I think that is unacceptable. We know exactly how this plays out. We saw it last year, as we careened from one budgetary deadline to the next, with one short-term extension after another. We simply can't keep repeating these same mistakes over and over again. To do so would be the literal definition of ``insanity.'' So I urge my colleagues: let's put an end to this madness. Let's stay here, if necessary, even if that means canceling recess. Let's work with a sense of urgency and purpose to better this country, because that is what our constituents sent us here to do.…
