[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 146 (Thursday, September 19, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H5452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  BIPARTISAN PATH IS ONLY WAY FORWARD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Nickel) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NICKEL. Madam Speaker, we are just 11 days away from a government 
shutdown, and let me be clear: A shutdown would be a disaster for the 
American people.
  A shutdown would disrupt vital services, halt disaster relief, and 
put countless Federal employees out of work. We simply cannot afford to 
go down that path.
  Speaker Johnson made the deliberate choice to tie the SAVE Act, which 
seeks to create burdensome barriers to voting, directly to the 
government spending bill. He is setting himself up to fail to push a 
voter suppression bill. This is just another attempt to make it harder 
for Americans to participate in democracy.
  We already have processes in place to verify citizenship during 
registration. Only citizens can vote in U.S. Federal elections. Let me 
repeat that: Only citizens can vote in U.S. Federal elections.
  Study after study shows that noncitizen voting is not affecting our 
elections. It is a Federal crime for noncitizens to vote in Federal 
elections, and noncitizens who violate the law and attempt to vote 
anyway face prison time and deportation.
  Here is the plain truth: At Donald Trump's orders, extreme MAGA 
Republicans are holding government funding hostage unless they can 
impose some of the most radical pieces of Donald Trump's Project 2025 
agenda.
  Instead of wasting time with political games, Republicans must stop 
following the former President's orders and join Democrats in a 
bipartisan effort to pass a short-term funding extension free of poison 
pills so we can keep the government open and complete a bipartisan 
government funding process this year. We did it last year, and we can 
do it again.
  Instead of focusing on the needs of the American people, extreme MAGA 
Republicans are more interested in playing puppet for Donald Trump.
  Let's be clear: Donald Trump wants to shut down the Federal 
Government. Is this really the leadership the American people deserve 
or just a chaotic circus of partisan political games?
  This is not how you govern. This is how you create chaos. Instead of 
collaborating for the good of the country, they are threatening a 
shutdown just to appease a former President. Are they representing 
their constituents or just following orders directly from Mar-a-Lago?
  Let's not forget, a government shutdown doesn't impact politicians. 
It harms everyday Americans. For some Republicans, it is just another 
opportunity for partisan political theater.
  The American people are tired of the Trump show. They want results. I 
came to Congress to get things done. We are on track to be the least 
productive Congress in our Nation's history because Trump Republicans 
continue to play partisan political games.
  Let's put people over politics and come together to pass a clean 
continuing resolution that supports the needs of our constituents and 
keeps the government open for business. We owe it to the American 
people to prioritize their well-being and their best interests.
  I will work with anyone and everyone to keep the government open, and 
a bipartisan path in a divided Congress is the only way forward. Let's 
stop wasting time and fund the government.

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