It's not surprising or uncommon when people disagree. We see differing points of view in every aspect of our lives, but one of the great things about being American is the fact that we're all entitled to have an opinion and state it loudly if we choose. From birth onward, every individual finds the belief system that makes the most sense and through that, values are shaped and opinions defined. So we learn to expect disagreement as part of life, and in so doing, we also realize the necessity of discussion, negotiation and compromise. That's how we get along.
Today everyone is watching a disagreement that currently provides little hope of resolution, due to the refusal of the Senate and President Obama to engage in real budget negotiations with the House. Even though the House has offered numerous proposals to keep the government open, the Senate has rejected each one without providing an actual alternative. As the clock passed midnight on October 1 without a funding measure in place, our country was unnecessarily thrown into a government shutdown. This resulted in the unfair furlough of more than 800,000 federal workers.
Too many days have passed since shutdown occurred, and with each day, millions of hardworking Americans are needlessly suffering. This is a scenario that the House has worked tirelessly to avoid by proposing fair solutions that keep the government funded. After receiving nothing but the same demands from the Senate, the House requested that members from each chamber form a conference committee to work out differences in order to avert shutdown. Because the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid only accepts his own plan, that too was refused.
Certainly no one wanted to experience a shutdown, and the failure to pass appropriations is a dangerous situation for Americans, especially as we inch closer to the debt ceiling deadline on October 17. As I explained in numerous town hall meetings back in August, government shutdown never does any good and using it as a strategy to repeal Obamacare is sure to fail, especially when its name sake is in the White House. Shutdown only makes people mad because it steals pay and working days from thousands of hardworking Americans and inconveniences millions more by the lapse in government services. This is a situation that I have warned against for weeks and weeks because historically (most recently during the partial-shutdown in 1996), it has only caused harm. Yet here we are anyway, with a Senate and president whose idea of compromise is "my way or the highway."
Our economy is broken, and shutting down the government is making it worse. While every opinion is important, it is unacceptable for one side to call the shots and not even consider compromise. The House is led by Republicans, and they were elected to represent thousands of communities who wanted their voices heard in Washington. Whether they like it or not, the Senate and President Obama must listen to the House. The longer Democrat leaders stonewall any attempts to fund our government and pay federal workers, the more difficult the recovery will be ahead.
Shutdown was never the goal and certainly not the fault of federal employees. It is critical that leaders from both chambers work together to resolve the situation and find meaningful long-term solutions to our growing debt. There is common ground, but we have to be willing to find it. We must unite immediately in order to restore confidence and trust in our government and preserve our nation for generations to come.