LITTLE ROCK, AR — U.S. Congressmen and Senators from the Natural State are pointing fingers after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a new spending plan, resulting in the first government shutdown since 1995.
Although the House and Senate were unable to agree on a plan that would keep government operations going, delegates from the Natural State seem to agree on two things: avoiding the shutdown would have been ideal, and it’s not their fault.
You can read the official statements below:
“The Senate has now passed three responsible measures to keep our government open and our economy growing. Yet, the House has continued with their ‘my-way-or-the-highway’ politics. This confirms what the American people have said all along: that hyper-partisanship in the House will shut down our government and hurt our economy just as it’s turning the corner.” – Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor
“As I have said for weeks, shutting down the federal government is terrible policy, but Democrats in the Senate wanted a government shutdown for political purposes and refused to work with the House to find a solution. I will continue to work with my colleagues – both Republicans and Democrats – to find a plan that will get the government running again. Negotiation is critical to our form of government, and tonight I will vote to go to a Conference Committee where historically the House and Senate work out their differences. On behalf of the thousands of Arkansans who will be directly impacted by the shutdown, I urge the Senate to join us.” – Republican Rep. Tim Griffin, District 2
Griffin says most of his staff in Washington and Arkansas will be furloughed, and while the Washington and Little Rock offices will maintain normal hours, the Conway office will be closed during the shutdown.
“A government shutdown has real implications for seniors, veterans and hardworking Arkansas families who rely on the services provided by federal agencies.
“This is exactly what we were trying to prevent, but there has been no willingness to on the part of Majority Leader Reid to compromise. He has refused to even allow the Senate to consider the last three House-passed continuing resolutions. And now he just shot down an effort to form a committee between the two chambers to resolve this.
“It’s time to come together and find commonsense solutions to our challenges. America functions best when we work through our differences and come together and address our country’s problems.” – Republican Sen. John Boozman
“I regret that Senate Democrats would rather keep their special Obamacare exemption than keep the government open. Their decision will cause needless hardship for many Arkansans, including dedicated public servants. Elected leaders shouldn’t be treated better than hardworking Arkansans, so I will donate my salary to charity for each day the government is closed.” – Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Dardanelle)
Cotton says during the shutdown, most of his staff will be furloughed, but his office will remain open to serve constituents.
“As I have been saying for months, Congress should take appropriate steps to keep the government open. This does not, however, mean we should continue to stick our head in the sand while our nation speeds ahead with trillions of dollars in new entitlement spending while our nation is in the middle of a debt crisis. Unfortunately, President Obama and Senator Reid will not budge from their demand that the government continue this fanatical, unsustainable borrow-and-spend agenda.
“I proposed a solution last week, and continue to push for it, which would reopen the government while forcing continued debate on what I consider the irresponsible economics of ObamaCare. This should be an acceptable offer because the only requirement is that Congress takes votes on the following resolution:
Congress affirms that it makes sense for the United States to rush ahead with $1.3 trillion in new entitlement spending under the Affordable Care Act even though our Nation is in the middle of a debt crisis and Social Security and Medicare are on the brink of bankruptcy.
“This resolution shucks the corn so that all can see what’s inside, and in this case, it isn’t something most Americans think we ought to consume. That is why I believe it is essential that we at least require a series of short term CRs that will include, each time, an up-or-down vote forcing borrow-and-spend zealots to reaffirm that they want to impose a costly new entitlement that will make our existing debt crisis worse. Again, this takes a government shutdown off the table while putting the irresponsible economics of ObamaCare before the American people on a recurring basis.” – Republican Rep. Rick Crawford
Although the House and Senate were unable to agree on a plan that would keep government operations going, delegates from the Natural State seem to agree on two things: avoiding the shutdown would have been ideal, and it’s not their fault.
You can read the official statements below:
“The Senate has now passed three responsible measures to keep our government open and our economy growing. Yet, the House has continued with their ‘my-way-or-the-highway’ politics. This confirms what the American people have said all along: that hyper-partisanship in the House will shut down our government and hurt our economy just as it’s turning the corner.” – Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor
“As I have said for weeks, shutting down the federal government is terrible policy, but Democrats in the Senate wanted a government shutdown for political purposes and refused to work with the House to find a solution. I will continue to work with my colleagues – both Republicans and Democrats – to find a plan that will get the government running again. Negotiation is critical to our form of government, and tonight I will vote to go to a Conference Committee where historically the House and Senate work out their differences. On behalf of the thousands of Arkansans who will be directly impacted by the shutdown, I urge the Senate to join us.” – Republican Rep. Tim Griffin, District 2
Griffin says most of his staff in Washington and Arkansas will be furloughed, and while the Washington and Little Rock offices will maintain normal hours, the Conway office will be closed during the shutdown.
“A government shutdown has real implications for seniors, veterans and hardworking Arkansas families who rely on the services provided by federal agencies.
“This is exactly what we were trying to prevent, but there has been no willingness to on the part of Majority Leader Reid to compromise. He has refused to even allow the Senate to consider the last three House-passed continuing resolutions. And now he just shot down an effort to form a committee between the two chambers to resolve this.
“It’s time to come together and find commonsense solutions to our challenges. America functions best when we work through our differences and come together and address our country’s problems.” – Republican Sen. John Boozman
“I regret that Senate Democrats would rather keep their special Obamacare exemption than keep the government open. Their decision will cause needless hardship for many Arkansans, including dedicated public servants. Elected leaders shouldn’t be treated better than hardworking Arkansans, so I will donate my salary to charity for each day the government is closed.” – Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Dardanelle)
Cotton says during the shutdown, most of his staff will be furloughed, but his office will remain open to serve constituents.
“As I have been saying for months, Congress should take appropriate steps to keep the government open. This does not, however, mean we should continue to stick our head in the sand while our nation speeds ahead with trillions of dollars in new entitlement spending while our nation is in the middle of a debt crisis. Unfortunately, President Obama and Senator Reid will not budge from their demand that the government continue this fanatical, unsustainable borrow-and-spend agenda.
“I proposed a solution last week, and continue to push for it, which would reopen the government while forcing continued debate on what I consider the irresponsible economics of ObamaCare. This should be an acceptable offer because the only requirement is that Congress takes votes on the following resolution:
Congress affirms that it makes sense for the United States to rush ahead with $1.3 trillion in new entitlement spending under the Affordable Care Act even though our Nation is in the middle of a debt crisis and Social Security and Medicare are on the brink of bankruptcy.
“This resolution shucks the corn so that all can see what’s inside, and in this case, it isn’t something most Americans think we ought to consume. That is why I believe it is essential that we at least require a series of short term CRs that will include, each time, an up-or-down vote forcing borrow-and-spend zealots to reaffirm that they want to impose a costly new entitlement that will make our existing debt crisis worse. Again, this takes a government shutdown off the table while putting the irresponsible economics of ObamaCare before the American people on a recurring basis.” – Republican Rep. Rick Crawford
