[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 9, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H30]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     LET'S KEEP THE GOVERNMENT OPEN

  (Mr. KILDEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, the Republican majority spent the entire 
year of 2017 in this House essentially stacking the deck for the most 
powerful interests in this country. That tax bill, you look at it 
closely, it grants massive benefits to people at the very top of the 
economy, at the cost of over $1 trillion in debt that our children and 
grandchildren will have to pay back.
  Now, with just 10 days to go before another potential government 
shutdown, and a shutdown which would cost our economy billions of 
dollars, we still have not gotten a budget. Despite the fact that 
Republicans control the House, they control the Senate, they control 
the White House, and they have consolidated power, they can't keep the 
government open for more than a few weeks at a time.
  The way we have to do this is to work together across the aisle. We 
are willing, but we can't be brought into the conversation 15 minutes 
before the government is going to be shut down; and we ought to deal 
with the big priorities that we were sent here to deal with, where we 
agree.
  We agree on CHIP, at least the majority of the House does. Bring it 
to the floor for a vote.
  We agree on DACA. A majority would vote for a Dreams bill. Let's just 
work on the things we can agree on and leave the partisan fights to 
those areas where we really disagree. This is long overdue.

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