Link to Washington Post story about the shutdown:
Congress returns to work as lawmakers press to keep shutdown short-lived
The following are news releases sent from the offices of New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation.
Joint Statement from Senators Shaheen and Hassan on Their Continuing Bipartisan Efforts to Find Common Ground
WASHINGTON – Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan released the following statement on their continued bipartisan efforts to reach an agreement:
“While we are disappointed that we could not reach a bipartisan agreement tonight, we remain encouraged by the conversations we have had with a bipartisan group of senators over the past hours. It is clear that there is common ground on the key issues at stake, and that a workable bipartisan agreement is within reach. We are going to keep working with our colleagues across the aisle, and believe that if Leader McConnell and President Trump allow these efforts to progress, we can reach a bipartisan agreement.”
Kuster Statement on the Government Shutdown
(Washington, DC) – Last night, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) released the following statement on the Government Shutdown:
“I’m extremely disappointed Republican leadership has brought us to the point of a government shutdown. We owe it to the American people to work together across the aisle and produce a bipartisan long-term budget that funds critical priorities important to Granite State families and provides certainty for our economy. It’s long past time that we support our community health centers, improve services for our veterans, increase efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, and protect young Dreamers. I’m committed to focusing on how we can cut through the partisan gridlock and do our job.”
Shea-Porter Statement on Shutdown of Federal Government
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) released the following statement tonight after President Trump and Republican Congressional leaders shut down the federal government:
“The irresponsibility of President Trump and the Republican Congressional majority is simply stunning. Their refusal, for months, to address the critical issues facing our nation has now led to the unthinkable, a government shutdown. Speaker Ryan and the rest of the Republican leadership must come back to the negotiating table immediately to end this absurdity and fund the government.”
The following was sent from Ryan Nickel, Communications Director, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, to the NH press.
**PRESIDENT TRUMP: “Our country needs a good shutdown”**
At every turn, Republicans and Democrats agree that President Trump disrupted efforts to reach an agreement:
ROLL CALL: White House Flips, Flops, Then Flips on Stopgap Spending –1/18/18
**Trump’s tweet sends hill into spin**
President Donald Trump on Thursday undermined efforts by House Republican leaders and his own staff to avoid a government shutdown, criticizing a decision to include an extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program in a GOP-crafted stopgap spending bill…
THE HILL: Trump baffles GOP with tweet scrambling shutdown talks—1/18/18
The 17-word tweet threw Capitol Hill into a state of confusion ahead of what is already expected to be a tight vote in the House on Thursday night. Republicans on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue were trying to decipher what exactly the president meant…
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: “I’m looking for something that President Trump supports, and he has not yet indicated what measure he is willing to sign…As soon as we figure out what he is for, then I would be convinced that we were not just spinning our wheels.”—Washington Post, 1/17/18
Senator Lindsey Graham: Graham suggested they were on the verge of a bipartisan immigration deal at 10 a.m. Thursday, only to have Trump rip the rug from beneath it two hours later. “I don’t know where that guy [Pres. Trump] went,” —Washington Post, 1/17/18
Senators Shaheen and Hassan remain hopeful that a bipartisan agreement is achievable and released a statement regarding their bipartisan efforts that continued throughout the early morning hours. They are imploring President Trump and Republican leadership to let a deal come together:
“While we are disappointed that we could not reach a bipartisan agreement tonight, we remain encouraged by the conversations we have had with a bipartisan group of senators over the past hours. It is clear that there is common ground on the key issues at stake, and that a workable bipartisan agreement is within reach. We are going to keep working with our colleagues across the aisle, and believe that if Leader McConnell and President Trump allow these efforts to progress, we can reach a bipartisan agreement.” –Senators Jeanne Shaheen & Maggie Hassan 1/20/18
Senator Shaheen has made her priorities clear. Congress must stop lurching from crisis-to-crisis and provide long-term certainty and funding to key priorities –priorities that Republicans and Democrats agree on:
PROVIDING ROBUST FUNDING TO FINALLY RESPOND TO THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC: Senate Democrats are pushing for an extra $25 billion to be included in any final budget agreement to combat the opioid epidemic. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, a pair of New Hampshire Democrats who are leading the effort, said during a press conference Tuesday that the federal response to the crisis has been insufficient and negotiations over a long-term spending deal are an opportunity to change that. “Make no mistake: This is a national public health emergency, and we still don’t see a robust federal response,” Shaheen said. “The current federal budget negotiations give us an opportunity to right this wrong.” – The Hill, 1/9/18
PUTTING THE MILITARY ON SOLID FINANCIAL FOOTING: “I am especially concerned about the damage that government by C.R. (continuing resolution) is inflicting on our armed forces and national security… The Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, has repeatedly warned us of the damaging impacts that budget uncertainty has on combat readiness. Training cycles are disrupted and sometimes they are discontinued. All non-mission critical maintenance is postponed for the length of the C.R. I share the views of many in this Congress that we need to increase support for our military…”– Senator Shaheen on Senate floor, 1/18/2018
PROVIDE FUNDING FOR CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE AND COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, AND PROVIDE A SOLUTION FOR DREAMERS SO THAT THEY CAN LIVE WITHOUT FEAR OF DEPORTATION:“I remain tremendously concerned about the expiration of the Children’s Health Insurance and Community Health Centers programs and the lack of progress on legislation to protect DREAMers. These are all issues that will demand the immediate attention of Congress in the new year and require Republican leadership to set aside this tremendously damaging brinkmanship.” – Senator Shaheen, 12/21/17
There’s been bipartisan agreement that long-term funding of the government, rather than stumbling from crisis-to-crisis, is desperately needed. Senator Shaheen and her Republican colleagues agree that short-term funding bills do tremendous damage to the military:
Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD): Rounds is the second Republican in two days to come out against the latest GOP funding plan, after Sen. Lindsey Graham. Both of them raised concerns over the uncertain funding flows for the military that comes as part of a continuing resolution. – Business Insider, 1/18/18
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC): “…it’s killing the military,” he said of the short-term funding bill, known as a continuing resolution. – The Hill, 1/17/18
Senator John McCain (R-AZ): “Without long-term, stable and predictable funding for the military, our service members will pay the price. Troops will be denied scheduled training. Ship maintenance backlogs will grow. A depleted force will continue to shrink. And readiness will further suffer… It’s time that both sides put politics aside, come to the table, and compromise on an agreement that will give our service members the training, equipment and resources they need to succeed.” –Press release, 1/20/18
Shaheen has long called for an end to across-the-board budget cuts, known as sequestration, and short term funding bills that hurt the military. Shaheen continues to urge an end to both in bipartisan negotiations:
DEFENSE SECRETARY MATTIS: “No enemy in the field has done more to harm the combat readiness of our military than sequestration”… Only slightly less damaging, in Mattis’ estimation, has been Congress’ inability to pass budgets on time for the start of the new fiscal year every October, thereby compelling the Pentagon to operate on temporary extensions of the previous year’s budget, known as “continuing resolutions.” —Daily Beast 6/16/17
SHAHEEN AND COLLINS SPEAK OUT ON SENATE FLOOR CALLING FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION ON SEQUESTER
“We are starting to see the very real and negative consequences of Congressional inaction on our national security”—Senator Shaheen, 2/19/13
SENATOR MCCAIN AGREES: “It has been clear from the beginning we would need a bipartisan budget agreement to lift the caps on defense spending and fully fund our military.” –Press release, 1/20/18