Do the Right Thing and Reopen the Federal Government

Floor Speech

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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.

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