[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 10 (Thursday, January 17, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          DO THE RIGHT THING AND REOPEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

  (Mr. POCAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POCAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues in 
Congress to do the right thing and support the Democrats' efforts to 
reopen our Federal Government.
  We are seeing devastating impacts on 800,000 Federal employees who 
serve us, the contractors that work for us, and the economy that 
impacts every person in this country. Yet the President's petulant, 
adolescent approach to the shutdown has been supported by my colleagues 
through their inability to support reopening government.
  Responsible governments around the world do not shut down, and 
leaders do not take hostages and demand ransom.
  Look, today the President is shutting down the government over an 
inefficient and unnecessary wall. If we capitulate, the next shutdown 
will be over his desire to lift sanctions on the Russians. The next 
shutdown could be over his desire to stop the Mueller investigation, 
and so on and so on.
  This isn't how the United States can or should operate, yet the 
Republicans' complicity in this petulant behavior hurts our 
constituents and threatens our economy.
  Mr. President, reopen the government before you further damage the 
United States of America.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Pingree). Members are reminded to 
refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.

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