[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5937]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
                  WE MUST AVOID A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

  (Mr. BEYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to do everything 
in our power to avoid a government shutdown. Federal workers protect 
our public health and environment, they deliver our mail, they help our 
businesses and home buyers, and they keep us safe. Shutting down the 
government would suspend their paychecks, damage their morale, and shut 
off the essential services they provide.
  My friend, Mr. Wittman, and I have drafted legislation to protect the 
pay of Federal employees in case Congress and the White House fail to 
reach an agreement. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
cosponsor the Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act.
  This bill is unusual. Usually you do everything you can when you 
introduce a bill to get it passed. You work hard to get it written into 
law. But this bill, I will do everything I can to prevent it from being 
considered because, if it becomes law, it means that Congress has 
failed and we have shut down our government.
  Republicans hold the White House and both Chambers of the Congress, 
so what happens next is up to them. I hope my friends here will have 
nothing to do with the White House plan to hold hostage the budget 
agreement and payments to stabilize health insurance rates. I urge my 
colleagues to act swiftly and responsibly to work out a bipartisan 
funding bill and avoid a government shutdown.

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