Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement this evening after the House of Representatives voted on a third Continuing Resolution written to include the demands of the Tea Party. For the third time, Senate leaders have declared this bill dead on arrival and the President has said he would veto the legislation, giving it no chance of passing the Senate or being signed into law. If a commonsense, bipartisan agreement is not reached by midnight tonight, when the current agreement expires, the government will shutdown.
"With only hours left until the government is needlessly shutdown, there is a simple way forward to avoid this reckless brinksmanship. Congressional Republicans must move on from these political stunts that have continually prevented any progress in finding a commonsense agreement to keep the government open. While I believe that Members of Congress should not receive any special treatment, governing by crisis is not a way to deal with it. The irresponsible and reckless actions of House leaders means some workers at Rock Island Arsenal would be furloughed, small business owners would stop receiving federal loans to hire and expand their businesses, home loans for middle class families would be delayed, veterans could see benefits delayed, and lifesaving medical research could be pushed back. I hold out hope that once again, a last minute deal is reached to avert a shutdown. I stand ready to support commonsense legislation to ensure the government remains open."
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