SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: Democrats all in for a government shut down. What it means for you
Shutting down the government is not an outcome President Trump wants. It is not an outcome Senate Republicans want. It costs money to shut down the government.
Congress will vote this week on a continuing resolution to fund the government. The government runs out of money on Friday. Continuing resolutions are not the ideal way to fund the government. This continuing resolution, however, will allow President Donald Trump to continue carrying out his popular agenda.
Ending wasteful Washington spending is a key part of the Trump agenda. Three in four Americans support a "full-scale effort to find and eliminate fraud and waste in government."
To Americans, auditing federal spending and eliminating waste is common sense. To Democrats, it is a crisis. As the deadline for government funding nears, Democrats in Congress are threatening to shut down the government.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, a member of Senate Democrat leadership, vowed to "use every tool possible" to stop President Trump.
Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey said Democrats would shut down the government "if we have to." Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said he’s open to shutting down the government. One House Democrat spoke about refusing to give a "blank check" to President Trump.
The problem is, Democrats have been signing taxpayer-funded blank checks for years. Prices rose 20% under the previous administration. Democrats’ reckless spending – $5 trillion in four years – is why. Democrats want to block the return of fiscal sanity.
It is obviously true that the federal government wastes money. Our government is too big. It spends too much. President Trump’s federal audit has uncovered billions of dollars in waste, fraud, and abuse.
American taxpayers were spending $2 million to develop sustainable recycling models in the Balkans; $19 million on biodiversity conversations in Nepal; $47 million to improve learning outcomes in Asia; $1.5 million on voter confidence in Liberia, Africa; and $21 million for voter turnout in India.
This is senseless spending. Democrats support it. They’re willing to shut down the government to continue it.
Another danger of a government shutdown is that it strains Border Patrol agents and our military. If the government shuts down, Border Patrol agents and our troops would have to go to work without getting paid.
This is disgraceful. For years, Democrats demonized Border Patrol agents. Democrats demanded that Congress defund Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE). Now, they want to deprive these agents of paychecks.
Border Patrol agents and ICE officials are currently carrying out the largest deportation operation in American history. They are detaining and deporting criminals, drug dealers, and terror suspects. 81 percent of Americans support these necessary efforts.
Securing the border is dangerous work.
In January, Roberto Ortiz, a Border Patrol agent in Texas, and his partner were shot at by heavily-armed cartel members while patrolling our Southern Border. Agent Ortiz’s heroic actions saved the life of his partner. President Trump honored Agent Ortiz for his bravery during the Joint Address to Congress.
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Heroes like Roberto Ortiz put their lives on the line each and every day. They make significant sacrifices to protect our nation. They should not have to pay the price because Democrats are angry that Donald Trump is President.
Republicans will ensure law enforcement gets their paychecks. Democrats seem more interested in playing political games.
Shutting down the government is not an outcome President Trump wants. It is not an outcome Senate Republicans want. It costs money to shut down the government. And it costs more money to reopen the government.
Americans want to end the wasteful Washington spending. They want Washington, D.C., to work for them – not for itself.
Republicans share those views. We want government to work efficiently and effectively. We are putting a stop to the waste, fraud, and abuse.
Shutdown Democrats are acting irresponsibly. They are failing American taxpayers, failing our service members, and failing our border patrol agents.
If there is a shutdown, it will be driven by and directed by the Democrats.
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