[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 18 (Thursday, January 25, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E96]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 25, 2018

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, my vote on January 22 is the same as my 
vote the prior time: No. The situation is the same as it was then, 
except there is one week fewer to actually get something done.
  This legislation represents a fundamental failure on the part of 
Republicans to govern. This bill does next to nothing for Community 
Health Centers, the Children's Health Insurance Program, our veterans, 
our pension systems--some of which are in a state of crisis, and the 
victims of natural disasters. Hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto 
Rico remain without power. And, most glaringly, this bill does nothing 
to improve the situation of two-thirds of a million Dreamers, who 
deserve certainty and protection but whose lives Trump's reckless 
actions have turned upside down.
  The situation continues to be outrageous, and it doesn't have to be 
this way. The priorities I'm fighting for are broadly supported by the 
American public. We should be able to address them directly and 
quickly, but I fear that we will be in the exact same spot in three 
weeks.

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