[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15469-15470]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                CONGRESS NEEDS TO SIT DOWN AT THE TABLE

  (Mr. KILMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)

[[Page 15470]]


  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, it looks like Congress will narrowly avoid 
another costly and unnecessary shutdown. That is the good news. The bad 
news is that Congress will have the same fight again just before the 
holidays start.
  Why does this place keep playing the same dysfunctional record over 
and over? In my region, the last shutdown cost furloughs at our 
military installations; Olympic National Park closed its doors, hurting 
local employers; tribes and social service providers and others faced 
painful disruptions of funding. I don't want to see that happen again.
  This place is spending a lot of time and energy obsessing about who 
the next Speaker will be. That is one job. We should be more concerned 
about the thousands of jobs we need to grow and keep not just in my 
region, but all around this country.
  Congress needs to end the grandstanding and sit down at the table. 
Let's hammer out a budget agreement that finally ends the across-the-
board sequestration cuts and focuses on this Nation's economy and its 
long-term growth.

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