Alex Mooney: “I thank the chairman for clarifying that. Of course, there are a lot of folks in my district who are affected by the…”

“I thank the chairman for clarifying that. Of course, there are a lot of folks in my district who are affected by the shutdown and also affected indirectly because they are contractors and such. I have had them approach me over the last few weeks, wondering if their backlogged projects were going to get funded. It is important to clarify that. Of course, we should backpay people, and the good, hardworking Americans who make this country go around need to get paid. I understand a little bit of an obsession on the other side against a border wall that was mentioned by the previous speaker, when this is really about how government should function and appropriate funds in the appropriate way, and the power of the purse. Frankly, getting bills through the House and the Senate has become quite a problem, particularly with the other Chamber, which doesn't seem to pass anything and then wants us to do just whatever the Senate does. We have a lot of dysfunction, particularly on the other side, and that is what has cost the workers, not this wall. The wall is something the President said he would do. It is not the wall; it is the dysfunction of passing bills around here that has caused these problems. Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader for the extra minute. Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”