Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement this evening after the House of Representatives voted on a second Continuing Resolution written to include the demands of the Tea Party. Senate leaders have already 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 September 30, when the current agreement expires, the government will shut down.
"Until House Republicans agree to put an end to the brinksmanship that is all too common here in Washington it does not appear that they have any real interest in reaching a commonsense agreement to keep the government running. 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, lifesaving medical research pushed back, and 1.4 million men and women in uniform would have their pay delayed. Iowans cannot afford to pay the price of Republicans' games.
"Today's vote does nothing more than push our government towards a shut down and puts politics before the basic work Iowans expect Congress to get done. Instead of trying to delay protections for those who have pre-existing conditions, delaying protections for women to ensure they aren't charged more for their health care and delaying tax credits for middle class Iowans to buy health care, Washington must re-focus its energy on job creation and fixing the economy. While I had hoped House Republicans would take the simple steps necessary to avoid a shut down and move on from these political stunts, I remain willing to work with the other side of the aisle to move our nation forward."
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