[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 14 (Sunday, January 21, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REPUBLICANS IN SPIN MODE

  (Mr. POCAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of rhetoric out there about 
why there is a government shutdown and who is to blame. Well, let's 
look at the facts.
  The GOP is, indeed, in charge at all levels of Federal Government yet 
has not been able to do much of anything since then. They can't fund 
the government, and now they are asking for their fourth continuing 
resolution of only a few weeks yet again.
  The only major, concrete thing they have really done is give tax 
breaks to their wealthy donors, and now they are in full spin mode 
trying to say the government is shut down because we want to let 
certain people into our country.
  Please.
  Look, we are fighting for parity on non-defense funding for things 
like schools, Head Start, and programs like Meals on Wheels and 
homeless veterans' assistance. We want to get funding for community 
health centers and CHIP. And, yes, repairing the DACA agreement that 
has allowed a lot of good, talented young people to stay in this 
country is important to many of us as well.
  Let's remember, the only thing the Republicans have to show for their 
last year is a giant, wet, sloppy tax break for their donors and a way 
too extended honeymoon with the President.
  It is time to step up and put our country before our party, and we 
need to do that now.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 4872, the End 
the Shutdown Act of 2018, a continuing resolution that would 
immediately reopen the government through Tuesday while negotiations 
continue on a budget agreement that adheres to parity and on other 
critical issues.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair has previously advised, that 
request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance.

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