Tammy Baldwin: “Thank you. Senator Merkley, you and I are both members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I have a question for you…”

“Thank you. Senator Merkley, you and I are both members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I have a question for you about how critical a functioning Congress and a functioning appropriations process is to our separation of powers, our checks and balances, and, therefore, to our very democracy. The Federal Government is currently shut down because Republicans who control the House, the Senate, and the White House are hell-bent on raising healthcare costs for the American people. In fact, 22 million Americans are about to see their health insurance costs potentially double, triple, or more. And the only way for us to get out of this mess is for Democrats and Republicans to sit down together and negotiate a solution. So far, Republicans refuse to come to the table. The House has been out of session for over a month--out of town--and President Trump is leaving the country, again, at the end of this week. The longer this Trump shutdown continues, it appears more likely that our Republican colleagues will totally give up Congress's power, which, of course, is the power of the people in the government-funding process. In fact, this morning, reporters are circulating the Capitol, speculating that Congress will give up on passing fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills and instead attempt to pass a full-year continuing resolution. This would be a failure on the part of the House and the Senate majority, controlled by Republicans.”