National Institutes of Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014

Floor Speech

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Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today on the House floor, instead of putting an end to the damaging Republican government shutdown by passing a clean funding compromise passed by the Senate, the House Republican leadership has chosen to take a different path to vote on more political ploys. They are doing this by continuing to offer mini-versions of appropriations bills in a cynical effort to give themselves political cover for causing this shutdown in the first place.

These bills are political gimmicks, not a responsible approach to governing. Republicans have shut down the government and are damaging our economy and the middle class. And today the House is considering the following five GOP piecemeal bills, which only fund selected pieces of the government--National Institutes of Health, local funds for the D.C., the National Parks, certain funding for Reserve/Guard, and part of the VA.

Like my colleagues in the Democratic Caucus, I wholeheartedly support veterans, our National Guard and Reserve, the District of Columbia, important medical research, and our national parks. However, these bills leave out many of the crucial services relied on by the American people such as Head Start programs, veterans' cemeteries, small business loans, education for our children, equipping and training our troops, building housing for military families, getting decisions on veterans disability claims, among many others.

Instead of opening up a few government functions, the House of Representatives should re-open the entire government. The harmful impacts of a shutdown extend across government, affecting services that are critical to small businesses, women, children, seniors, and others across the Nation.

The American people have seen enough, and the time has come for Republicans to abandon their reckless and irresponsible agenda and join Democrats to honor America's commitments to provide vital services our citizens pay for with their hard earned tax dollars. I urge Speaker Boehner, Leader Cantor, and the Republican Party to end its shutdown by working with Democrats to pass a clean funding bill and end this charade immediately.

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