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"After today’s unanimous vote from the House of Representatives to ensure the immediate distribution of final expense payments and survivor benefits from the Department of Defense, the shameful delay of that certainty will be resolved. The men and women who bravely and selflessly volunteer to wear America’s uniform and then give their lives providing for her defense are guardians of our freedom, and we are forever in their debt." Read more »

Thursday I will be attending a meeting at the White House with members of the House Republican leadership team. It is my hope that the President intends to use this time to begin good-faith negotiations with House Republicans to fund our government while ensuring fair treatment for all Americans under Obamacare, and to find common ground on critical spending reforms. Read more »

President Obama earlier today invited the entire House GOP conference to the White House for a meeting tomorrow, according to House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) office. House GOP leaders have opted to send a much smaller contingent. Read more »

The White House had invited the full Republican caucus to participate in a meeting with the president, but the Speaker opted to send a smaller delegation, including leadership members and committee chairmen, a Boehner aide said earlier Wednesday. Read more »

President Barack Obama will meet with a delegation of 18 Republicans at the White House Thursday, in what will be the most significant meeting between the two parties in the ongoing debates on funding the government and raising the nation's debt ceiling. Read more »

“House Republicans want to meet with Senate Democrats to find a bipartisan solution to reopen the federal government fully, but the Senate first needs to agree to be part of those talks. Refusing to negotiate a fair end to the shutdown or a fiscally responsible solution to America’s debt crisis is childish and unreasonable, particularly when divided government requires bipartisanship.” Read more »

“The common ground we share on the issue of making sure employees are compensated on schedule for their service should take precedence over any ideological crusade or desire to prove a point about ‘not negotiating.’ It is my hope Senate Democrats will take up this legislation quickly and agree to appoint Senators to come to the negotiating table to have a conversation with House Republicans about how we can work through our differences, reopen government, and be on the same team as we confront the coming debt ceiling.” Read more »

North Carolinians keep telling me “this has to stop.” I agree. To have any hope of solving the challenges before us, leaders have to be willing to work together. So let’s restore services we agree should be running and fix inequities in the law. Let’s defend our credit rating by getting control over our bills and strengthening our fiscal foundation. Whether the challenge is ending the shutdown or confronting our debt, divided government demands bipartisan solutions, and finding bipartisan agreement starts by sitting down to talk. Read more »

The House of Representatives did the right thing today by providing some peace of mind to individuals who have been furloughed because the Democrat Senate refuses to negotiate an agreement to re-open the federal government. The President has said he is willing to remove the pain and inconvenience of Washington’s dysfunction for federal workers, but has threatened to veto bipartisan proposals which would do the same for other Americans. The President’s inconsistency should be questioned. Read more »

"While the House of Representatives waits for the Senate to come to the table and work out a fair plan to end this shutdown, we’re going to keep doing whatever we can to ensure Washington’s dysfunction doesn’t cause any more inconvenience or pain for the American people. These smaller funding bills give us a bipartisan opportunity to do what’s best for the country while we seek resolution with the Senate and President. There is no excuse to dismiss these proposals." Read more »