[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 135 (Thursday, October 3, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MR. SPEAKER, OPEN THE GOVERNMENT

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have heard my colleagues on the 
Republican side of the aisle say that they want to keep the government 
open. Well, it's simply not true, Mr. Speaker.
  Look, let's face it: the Republicans are in charge of this House. 
It's Speaker Boehner and the Republican leadership that shut the 
government down. They could simply bring up the Senate resolution that 
would keep the government open at any time now, today or any time, and 
the government would reopen.
  So I don't want to hear this constant rhetoric that, oh, the 
Republicans want to keep the government open. It's simply not true. 
They are in charge. They have the responsibility. Speaker Boehner has 
the responsibility to bring up a clean resolution that would keep this 
government open.
  Now, I have heard that our appropriators--and you listen to Nancy 
Pelosi. They have said that we have agreed to the government spending 
levels on the other side of the aisle, so that's not the issue here. 
There is no issue anymore about how much we're going to spend. It's 
simply that Republicans want to close the government down because of 
the Affordable Care Act. It should not be linked in any way.
  If anybody suggests this is not a problem, 22 percent of the gross 
national product is dependent upon the Federal Government. This is 
having a negative impact on our economy.
  Mr. Speaker, open the government again.

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