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Floor Speech
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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, as I was sitting and listening, I feel like I am living in an alternative universe here sometimes. I am sure the American people feel this way.
Are people being hurt today? You are doggone right they are. They are being hurt because Senator Schumer and his following will not, quite simply, reopen the government so we can begin negotiations on some of the issues that are a part of this disagreement.
I am a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. One of my most important responsibilities is to make sure that the government stays open and working for the people that we represent. That is why I am so deeply disappointed to be standing here today in the midst of a totally avoidable government shutdown, all because the Senate Democrats refused to join us, as Republicans, in supporting a commonsense, short-term, nonpartisan continuing resolution.
We have seen Leader Thune pick it up in his hands. It is very simple. Let's just keep the government open until November 21, discuss key issues, finish the appropriations process, and move on.
Let me be clear on what that short-term continuing resolution was designed to do. It is not a gimmick. It is not a gimmick. It is the same legislation that the Senate Democrat leader brought before this body 13 times and had it passed. It is not a partisan maneuver. It is a straightforward measure to keep critical services in operation, while giving Congress the time that we need to finish our work on appropriations through regular order, the way that we used to do it. Some of our Democratic colleagues have agreed with us in the last several votes.
So the bottom line: We don't have to be where we are, and we really shouldn't be here because this position is untenable. We have a path forward. It is so easy. It is so easy.
When people are watching this, they are hearing us try to blame one person or the other. The easy thing is to turn around and vote to reopen up the government, and we can begin to have other conversations. We have a path forward. It requires the Democrats to come to their senses, quite frankly, and vote for this reasonable measure.
The Senate has already passed three appropriations bills, which is three more than we passed under their leadership last year. And we have five more that have received heavy bipartisan support in committee and are ready for a full Senate vote. That would be CJS, Defense, Interior, Labor, which I chair, and T-HUD, which is the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development bill.
That is progress. That is responsibility. That is what we are here for. That is us doing our job. But in order to complete the process, we need time. The continuing resolution is that bridge of time to keep the government open while we finish our work.
So, unfortunately, the Democrats have chosen a different path. They have chosen to shut down the government. That is where we are today. The government is shut down. They made a political calculation all based on politics, appeasing their far-left base instead of doing the right thing for the American people.
Unfortunately, hard-working families all across this country who rely on critical government services are the ones who are suffering. Government shutdowns have real consequences. In West Virginia, our businesses and our Federal workers face uncertainty about their pay. Families who rely on essential benefits are put in limbo. It is scary for people. Some people with children with disabilities or folks that rely on services daily are concerned about where this is going to lead. Small businesses are waiting on Federal permits or loans. They are going to have to wait longer.
And so many others are told, yet again, as we see, that the politics of Washington come before the people.
My State of West Virginia has the third largest number of Federal employees, and we are situated quite close to the District of Columbia.
So, to all of those public servants who are bearing the brunt of this nonsense, please know how much I value your contribution every day and that I will work tirelessly to get you back to work, to get you back to that certainty that you need.
You know, this shutdown is just so avoidable, and it is so unacceptable. But do you know what? As Republicans, we are not giving up because we never do. As Leader Thune has indicated, we will continue bringing forward opportunities for the Democrats to join us in reopening the government. We will keep voting to do the right thing and giving them a chance to do the same.
The American people expect Congress to be responsible stewards of their tax dollars. I know that is what my constituents in my home State of West Virginia want me to do. They expect us to keep the government functioning. I can't even believe I am having to say this because it is just such a given: They want the government open while we debate our differences. That is what we are supposed to be doing. We are supposed to be debating, not shutting down the government, and that is what the Republican CR would have allowed us to do.
So I urge my colleagues across the aisle to quit playing the political games, to end the shutdown, and join us in funding the government. Let's finish our work on the appropriations process, and let's return to the regular order process that we had begun at the beginning of the summer because it brings transparency, accountability, and bipartisanship back to the appropriations process. We have it in committee. We need to have it on this floor. That is what West Virginians deserve. That is what the American people deserve. It is what they expect, quite frankly. That is what they expect every day.
These young people on the floor are getting to hear a debate. I am sure it is one that they will remember, and I am sure they are thinking to themselves: It is a simple thing. Reopen the government. Reopen the government. Why was it closed in the first place? For a political stunt that is not working. They are boxed in.
Let's just say: OK. Let's open. Let's begin our discussions, and let's solve the problems that we have in front of us.
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