Last Friday, I made a choice to keep the government funded and stand up for hard working taxpayers of the 13th District who are concerned, unfortunately with good reason, about their health care coverage come Jan. 1.
I do not support and will never advocate, as some claim, for a government shutdown because it is bad policy that puts our military, seniors, veterans and national security at risk. Shutting down the government should never be an option.
At the same time, I will continue to advocate for my constituents by voting to defund, delay or repeal and replace a law that I and more than half of Americans believe will make our health care system worse. We owe it to those we represent to slow down and address the problems with this law -- simply ignoring them and moving forward is irresponsible.
I urge Congress to return to a constitutional appropriations process so that we can go line-by-line to find areas where we need to spend and areas where we can afford to save. Just like many of you, I am tired of artificial deadlines and end-of-the-year budget fights that have plagued recent Congresses. These prevent us from actually governing and passing important legislation like the Water Resources and Development Act that focuses on improving our ports and waterways, which recently passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, or the Farm Bill, which passed the House several months ago.
American families have to sit down, balance their check books, figure out ways to pay their bills on time and find areas to save when things get tight. Just like every other American family, Washington should do the same and must be held accountable when it doesn't.