Wittman to Pelosi: Keep Us in Town

Statement

Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) released this statement after sending a letter to Speaker Pelosi urging her to keep the House in session this weekend:

"It is absolutely critical that we reopen the government. I believe the House needs to stay in session, including weekends, until we can pass legislation to both secure our border and reopen the government -- both are national imperatives. I stand ready and willing to work with anyone who will come to the table to solve the problem before us, for real results.

"I am disappointed in Congress for allowing our funding decisions to get to this critical point and for not being able to come to an agreement on how to move forward without allowing a partial government shutdown. This situation was completely avoidable, and it all stems back to a broken budgeting system. For years now, I have introduced the No Budget No Pay Act that says if Congress doesn't pass a budget on time Members don't get a paycheck, and the Stay on Schedule Resolution that says if Congress doesn't pass all appropriations bill by July 31, Members don't get a vacation. We can't continue to find ourselves in these completely avoidable, crisis situations. We must work for a permanent solution that will provide a path to fiscal certainty for our federal agencies.

"I will continue this work to reform how Congress works, and ending business as usual in Washington starts with passing budgets and spending bills on time. I look forward to working with my colleagues to come to a realistic solution that will gain the support of both the Senate and the president, so we can end this partial government shutdown as soon as possible."

Source