Palm Beach Post - Congress Must Rise Above Political Games to Keep U.S. the Global Economic Leader

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By Rep. Patrick Murphy

Less than a year ago, I was elected to Congress because I campaigned against partisanship and dysfunction. I ran against a member of the tea party, arguing that the tea party was taking the country in an extreme direction.

After just nine months in office, the situation is far worse than I had imagined, and the tea party is driving the nation into dangerous territory. This small group has shut down the government and is threatening to send our nation into default for the first time, a move experts say will wreak havoc on our economy.

This past weekend, I led 195 voting members of Congress in writing a letter urging House Speaker Boehner, R-Ohio, to allow a vote on a clean spending bill to immediately reopen the government. The measure would need only a handful of Republican votes to pass.

I work every day with Republicans who are also frustrated with this extreme element of their party and with Speaker Boehner for caving to their demands. It would take only 22 of these Republicans to support ending the shutdown, and I believe if the speaker would allow a vote we would get more than enough of them.

While this political posturing drags on, Americans are feeling the very real and very negative effects of the shutdown. I spoke with a recently discharged veteran who was rightfully upset that, after serving his nation, his benefits are now at risk. His next disability check is in question. He cannot go back to school with his GI benefits. He cannot even get his belongings from where he was stationed until the shutdown is over.

Unfortunately, he is not alone. Nearly a million American workers have been furloughed, and according to the Small Business Administration, $170,000 worth of small business loans are not being processed every day in our Palm Beach County-Treasure Coast district alone.

As this harmful shutdown continues, we are fast approaching another fiscal disaster of our own making. By threatening to play the same games with the debt limit that caused this disgraceful shutdown, the tea party is putting the creditworthiness of the United States at risk. This would be catastrophic. Families know that missing a payment can make it more difficult or expensive to take out a mortgage or send a child to college. Hurting America's credit rating would similarly make it more difficult for our country to keep our promises and make smart investments like education, infrastructure and research.

I am beyond appalled that it has come to this: governing crisis to crisis. Uncertainty and political dysfunction in Washington is holding back our economic recovery, which is why I have been pushing for a grand bargain since January. After ending this standoff, Congress should make the tough decisions to cut spending, simplify the tax code, streamline regulations and make smart investments to provide certainty and stability. We must rise above these political games to remain the global economic leader for generations to come.

Although this may seem far-fetched these days, I remain hopeful that members of Congress can work together to find common-sense solutions to fund the government responsibly. I co-chair two bipartisan groups, United Solutions and No Labels, and for the past few weeks we have been meeting almost daily. A majority of members on both sides of the aisle agree with the American people that the tone in Washington must change, and that members of Congress must work together to find a balanced, comprehensive, and long-term solution to our fiscal issues.

But until that day, America's government must be open for business, and her bills must be paid. It is time that Washington politicians listen to the people they represent and stop with this nonsense, end this shutdown, and stop inflicting unnecessary pain on our economy and our country.

Patrick E. Murphy represents Florida's 18th Congressional District.

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