Ranking Member Cole: "Democrats are wasting more time"

Statement

Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, released the following statement after the committee met to consider H.R. 648, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019. The committee also met to consider H.J. Res. 31, Making further continuing appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2019, and for other purposes.

"For the fourth straight week, House Democrats remain fixated on initiating the same nonstarter strategy of bringing up appropriations bills that fail to address border security," said Cole. "President Trump has been upfront from the start. He will not sign legislation that fails to confront the crisis at our southern border. And over the weekend, the president demonstrated he wants to find a compromise and is willing to negotiate in good faith. Unfortunately, Democrats are clearly more interested in wasting more time on political games and exercises than on solving the fundamental problem."

Background
President Trump has suggested that ending the shutdown and funding critical border security could be solved in a 45-minute meeting.

Instead, Democrats have wasted 338.5 hours this year on bills that are going nowhere in the Senate and will not be signed into law:

Nearly 5 hours hearing testimony in the House Rules Committee on nonstarter appropriations billsMore than 21 hours on the floor debating and voting on nonstarter appropriations bills13 days spent waiting to consider nonstarter appropriations bills before the House Rules Committee

Source