[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 135 (Thursday, October 3, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HOUSE REPUBLICANS PASS IRRESPONSIBLE, PIECEMEAL STRATEGY TO COVER UP 
                   THEIR RECKLESS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

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                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 3, 2013

  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today on the House floor, instead 
of putting an end to the damaging Republican Government Shutdown by 
passing a clean funding compromise passed by the Senate, the House 
Republican leadership has chosen to take a different path to vote on 
more political ploys. They are doing this by continuing to offer mini-
versions of appropriations bills in a cynical effort to give themselves 
political cover for causing this shutdown in the first place.
  These bills are political gimmicks, not a responsible approach to 
governing. Republicans have shut down the government and are damaging 
our economy and the middle class. And today the House is considering 
the following five GOP piecemeal bills, which only fund selected pieces 
of the government--National Institutes of Health, local funds for the 
DC, the National Parks, certain funding for Reserve/Guard, and part of 
the VA.
  Like my colleagues in the Democratic Caucus, I wholeheartedly support 
veterans, our National Guard and Reserve, the District of Columbia, 
important medical research and our national parks. However, these bills 
leave out many of the crucial services relied on by the American people 
such as Head Start programs, veterans' cemeteries, small business 
loans, education for our children to equipping and training our troops 
to building housing for military families to getting decisions on 
veterans disability claims, among many others.
  Instead of opening up a few government functions, the House of 
Representatives should re-open the entire government. The harmful 
impacts of a shutdown extend across government, affecting services that 
are critical to small businesses, women, children, seniors, and others 
across the Nation.
  The American people have seen enough, and the time has come for 
Republicans to abandon their reckless and irresponsible agenda and join 
Democrats to honor America's commitments to provide vital services our 
citizens pay for with their hard earned tax dollars. I urge Speaker 
Boehner, Leader Cantor, and the Republican Party to end its shutdown by 
working with Democrats to pass a clean funding bill and end this 
charade immediately.

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