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Letter to Donald J. Trump, President of the United States - Keep Government Open, Include Bipartisan Priorities

Letter

By: Tom O'Halleran, Jared Huffman, Doris Matsui, Mark DeSaulnier, Eric Swalwell, Anna Eshoo, Julia Brownley, Tony Cárdenas, Grace Napolitano, Norma Torres, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Alan Lowenthal, Susan Davis, John Larson, Elizabeth Esty, Al Lawson, Jr., Charlie Crist, Jr., Lois Frankel, Frederica Wilson, Hank Johnson, Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, Mike Quigley, Jan Schakowsky, André Carson, Richard Neal, Katherine Clark, Stephen Lynch, John Sarbanes, John Delaney, Chellie Pingree, Debbie Dingell, Betty McCollum, Lacy Clay, Jr., G. K. Butterfield, Jr., Carol Shea-Porter, Frank Pallone, Jr., Don Payne, Jr., Ben Luján, Jr., Gregory Meeks, Nydia Velázquez, Yvette Clarke, Carolyn Maloney, Joe Crowley, Nita Lowey, Louise Slaughter, Marcy Kaptur, Suzanne Bonamici, Kurt Schrader, Mike Doyle, Jr., Jim Clyburn, Beto O'Rourke, Henry Cuellar, Marc Veasey, Bobby Scott, Thomas Davis III, Suzan DelBene, Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan, Raul Grijalva, John Garamendi, Ami Bera, Barbara Lee, Jim Costa, Zoe Lofgren, Judy Chu, Brad Sherman, Ted Lieu, Karen Bass, Mark Takano, Juan Vargas, Diana DeGette, Rosa DeLauro, Eleanor Norton, Darren Soto, Kathy Castor, Ted Deutch, Mario Diaz-Balart, David Scott, Bobby Rush, Danny Davis, Bill Foster, John Yarmuth, Jim McGovern, Seth Moulton, Bill Keating, Anthony Brown, Elijah Cummings, Dan Kildee, Brenda Lawrence, Keith Ellison, Emanuel Cleaver II, David Price, Annie Kuster, Albio Sires, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Ruben Kihuen, Grace Meng, Hakeem Jeffries, Jerry Nadler, Adriano Espaillat, José Serrano, Sean Maloney, Brian Higgins, Marcia Fudge, Earl Blumenauer, Dwight Evans, David Cicilline, Steve Cohen, Sheila Jackson Lee, Gene Green, Filemon Vela, Jr., Donald McEachin, Stacey Plaskett, Rick Larsen, Adam Smith, Gwen Moore, Ed Perlmutter, Terri Sewell, Ruben Gallego, Mike Thompson, Jerry McNerney, Jackie Speier, Ro Khanna, Salud Carbajal, Adam Schiff, Pete Aguilar, Jimmy Gomez, Linda Sánchez, Lou Correa, Scott Peters, Jared Polis, Jim Himes, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Val Demings, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sanford Bishop, Jr., Colleen Hanabusa, Luis Gutiérrez, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Cheri Bustos, Cedric Richmond, Niki Tsongas, Mike Capuano, Dutch Ruppersberger, Steny Hoyer, Jamie Raskin, Sandy Levin, Tim Walz, Rick Nolan, Kilili Sablan, Alma Adams, Donald Norcross, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Michelle Lujan Grisham, Dina Titus, Kathleen Rice, Eliot Engel, Paul Tonko, Joyce Beatty, Tim Ryan, Peter DeFazio, Brendan Boyle, Jim Langevin, Al Green, Joaquin Castro, Eddie Johnson, Lloyd Doggett II, Don Beyer, Jr., Peter Welch, Derek Kilmer, Denny Heck, John Kennedy
Date: Jan. 18, 2018
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Government Budget and Spending

Dear Mr. President,

As you know, the Republican Congress must pass a funding resolution by January 19 to keep government open. Indeed, as we approach this latest deadline, Congress faces a long list of urgent, overdue priorities for the American people.

With Republicans in control of the House, the Senate and the White House, you do not need Democrats' votes to keep government open. In any upcoming negotiations, however, Democrats will press for the inclusion of the following bipartisan items, among others:

·Preserving the agreement in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that required increased spending to be spread evenly between defense spending and non-defense discretionary accounts which have both been harmed by the ongoing sequester;

·Delivering urgently needed resources for communities fighting the deadly opioid epidemic;

·Rescuing our heroic veterans who are facing a dire shortfall at the VA;

·Protecting Dreamers, whom you have publicly supported, by passing the Dream Act;

·Supporting access to health care by providing critical funding for CHIP and CHCs;

·Preserving Americans' endangered pensions by enacting a responsible reform plan

·Providing additional disaster recovery funding for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Texas, Florida, and states impacted by wildfires.

Mr. President, it is clear that your budget priorities and ours are in significant conflict. However, there are many bipartisan priorities that we can swiftly deliver for the good of the American people, in addition to keeping government open without interruption.

If we can't agree, your party has the majority in the House and the Senate to pass your own funding resolution. But that will be a bill we cannot support.

Thank you for your attention to our concerns.

Sincerely,


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