Avoiding a government shutdown

Republicans in the House are steering us towards a government shutdown, and the clock is ticking. We need to come together to find a solution because working people and our economy rely on the government staying open.

What Kevin McCarthy and the extreme wing of his caucus are doing is plain wrong, and it is dangerous. They want to make a big game out of a serious process to get clout with MAGA followers and Tucker Carlson fans.

But while they hold our government hostage, it is their constituents who pay the price. Processing new Social Security applications ceases, leaving seniors and people with disabilities waiting on promised benefits. National Parks have to close up operations, so millions of us have to cancel family outings and vacations. And working families may stop receiving SNAP food assistance or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

As your representative in Congress, I will always be a voice for working families in Northwest Washington — and beyond.

But time is running out. Congress must pass a spending bill to fund the government by midnight on September 30th or we will start seeing these drastic consequences on October 1st.

Democrats are ready to govern. My colleagues and I will be ready to vote on a reasonable bill when Kevin McCarthy brings his caucus to the negotiating table to keep the government funded, as we have done time and time before.

Despite the divisive rhetoric that has been thrown around, a majority of us in the House want to find a commonsense solution to keep us moving forward. My hope for the country is that McCarthy starts to lead and we work together towards a bipartisan funding bill and this disturbing trend of running towards the brink of shutting down critical services comes to an end.

More soon,

Rick