*Government Shutdown

MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a budget deal that set the funding levels of government for the next two years. I voted against this bill because it does not set our nation on a long-term fiscally-sustainable path, it does not replace the entire sequester, it did not extend unemployment insurance, it failed to address the debt limit, and it targeted hardworking federal employees and military pensions.

But the fact of the matter is, Chris Van Hollen is Ranking Member of the Budget Committee on our side - he has not been in any of these negotiations, nor have any of the other [members of the budget conference]. 

There are five days left with the House in session, and time is running out for action on many must-pass legislative items.  As the Wall Street Journal explains, Republican leaderships’ history of partisanship and chaos does not bode well for the Republican-led House of Representatives:

A look at the first session of the 113^th Congress shows that the Republican-led House of Representatives has not made progress on issues important to the American people. With 8 legislative days remaining in this year, the Republican leadership is poised to leave a long to-do list of critical legislation unfinished. 

MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP

There are only 8 legislative days remaining before the end of the year, yet House Republicans wasted this week on bills that will not advance in the Senate, become law or address any of the time sensitive issues Congress must pass before the end of the year.I am disappointed that instead of taking action on critical legislation, including a budget agreement that replac

“Shutdown is unacceptable and certainly defaulting on our debt is unacceptable. We've had a long time to come to agreement. Republicans refused to go to conference. We are now in conference 

“Thank you very much Leader. Many of you have heard me say, but you know it as well – there are 8 legislative days left in 2013, according to the Republican Majority schedule. Two of those days, of course, are days in which we come in at 6:30. So that there is not much time to do the work of the American people.

“Thank you very much Leader. Many of you have heard me say, but you know it as well – there are 8 legislative days left in 2013, according to the Republican Majority schedule. Two of those days, of course, are days in which we come in at 6:30. So that there is not much time to do the work of the American people.