[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 15 (Monday, January 22, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           REFUSAL TO GOVERN

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, the chaos Presidency has spawned a chaos 
Congress. Now that they control the White House as well, they still 
can't govern--no more excuse, no more bogeyman Obama in the White 
House.
  Instead of governing, my esteemed Republican colleagues have spent 
the last year trying to rip healthcare away from children and families 
in order to give their billionaire friends a tax break. That is the 
only thing that they have accomplished: giving to the rich.
  Then, at 12:01 Saturday morning, Republicans told the American people 
that the United States is closed for business.
  This is the fifth time in 30 years that Republicans have shut down 
the Federal Government. It is the first time ever that a single party 
has controlled the entire Federal Government but still refused to keep 
the country running.
  Mr. Speaker, let us govern. Let them govern. If my Republican 
colleagues want to enter into good faith negotiations for a budget that 
fully funds the Federal Government and pursues bipartisanship 
priorities, such as funding community health centers, permanently 
reauthorizing CHIP, providing disaster relief, and protecting DREAMers, 
then you know where to reach me.

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