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| Friends, As Congress returned to Washington this week, the government was just days away from running out of funding and being forced to shut down. Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. They had seven months to come up with a bill to fund the government and instead they once again took us to the brink of another disastrous shutdown. When the government shut down in 2013, it cost the American economy $24 billion – including $152 million per day in lost travel spending and $76 million per day lost because of National Parks being shut down. Small businesses suffered from frozen government contracts and stalled business loans. Military families had to cope without childcare and veterans who receive disability and GI Bill benefits and survivors who rely on survivor benefits were in danger of losing their benefits. This is no way to govern. Republicans took us to the brink of a shutdown this week because they were trying to force American taxpayers to pay for a reckless border wall that members of both parties in border states are deeply skeptical of. They were also hastily trying to pass their deeply unpopular healthcare bill – only 17 percent of Americans approve of the legislation – because they were desperate to give President Trump a "win" before his first 100 days were up. On top of taking healthcare away from 24 million Americans and giving close to $1 trillion in tax cuts to the richest Americans, the latest version of the Republican healthcare bill would also take away essential health benefits like maternity care and strip protections for patients with pre-existing conditions. Knowing how bad this new healthcare plan was, Republicans even made an amendment that would allow members of Congress to keep their healthcare while forcing millions to fend for themselves under the new plan. Thanks to so many of you who are continuing to fight back, Republicans failed to get enough votes and a vote on the bill was once again delayed. When it became clear the healthcare bill wouldn’t pass this week, Republicans finally voted to fund the government, just hours before a shutdown. But they only passed a one-week extension of funding so Congress might once again be on the brink of another shutdown next week. Americans deserve better from their leaders in Congress. Keeping the government open is one of the most basic jobs Congress has and the fact that even that is so regularly in doubt is outrageous. Going from one crisis to the next is no way to govern. It’s time for both parties to put politics aside and work together on bipartisan solutions that will not just keep the government open, but actually help more families get access to healthcare, strengthen college affordability, create new jobs, and help more Americans save for the future. Sincerely,
Jim McGovern Member of Congress |
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