[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 134 (Wednesday, October 2, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         WE NEED A CLEAN CR TO GET OUR GOVERNMENT BACK TO WORK

  (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, lawmakers should be the first to 
uphold and respect the laws of our land, and the Affordable Care Act is 
a very important law for over 30 million people in every one of our 
districts, for our entire country.
  There are almost 700 Federal employees in my small district. 
Traveling yesterday, it was hard to see the CBP and TSA folks working 
as usual, not knowing if and when they'll be paid.
  My employees, like all congressional employees, are under the same 
cloud and the stress that comes with it.
  Complaints began early about our Virgin Islands park closures. This 
not only affects NPS employees, but all of our small businesses, from 
wedding planners to shop and concession owners to taxi drivers, the 
entire St. John economy. And despite our ``Open Beach'' laws, the 
beaches in the park are closed to Virgin Islanders.
  In my district, already reeling from the shutdown of our largest 
private employer, the highest energy costs in the country, and reduced 
government revenues, this shutdown, if it continues any longer, can be 
the final nail in our economic coffin.
  The negative impact of this shutdown will only hurt more people and 
hurt our national economy, if it continues.
  The President and Democrats are willing to negotiate, but we, and the 
American people, say not like this. No fake, piecemeal fixes. We must 
have a clean CR now and get our entire government back to work.

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