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Foxx Votes for Commonsense Measures to Open Parks, Fund NIH

House Republicans Remain Committed to a Bipartisan Solution to Re-Open Government

Washington, D.C. , October 2, 2013 | Ericka Perryman (202-225-2071)
A few days ago we passed legislation that specifically directed members of the military to continue being paid in the event of a shutdown. The President signed that legislation. Today we took similar steps to remove the symptoms of shutdown for Americans who rely on medical studies and innovative treatment options, and visitors to our national parks. Commonsense legislation should create common ground..."

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) voted tonight to stop shutdown policies that are shuttering national parks and memorials and freezing funding to the National Institutes of Health. President Obama signed similar legislation to protect pay for active-duty military members during a shutdown and should sign these proposals as well. 

“The President and Senate’s refusal to work with the House of Representatives to reopen the government has consequences well beyond Washington,” Congresswoman Foxx stated. “We want to correct these policies before they cause pain. If the Senate will not meet with us to build a bipartisan solution to end the government shutdown, we will continue taking the lead to fix problems for the American people.

“A few days ago we passed legislation that specifically directed members of the military to continue being paid in the event of a shutdown. The President signed that legislation. Today we took similar steps to remove the symptoms of shutdown for Americans who rely on medical studies and innovative treatment options, and visitors to our national parks.  Commonsense legislation should create common ground, and today a bipartisan House majority found common ground on these proposals. The President and Senate should stop issuing veto threats and dismissing these good-faith steps. 

“House Republicans remain committed to a bipartisan solution to reopen the federal government for the American people and will continue to act in good faith to find an agreement with Senate Democrats to do just that. But to build a bipartisan compromise, the Senate needs to come to the table so we can work through our policy differences.”  

Tomorrow the House will pursue legislation to ensure pay for all military reservists and end shutdown delays in the processing of veteran benefit applications. The White House has announced its intention to veto these bills in addition to the bills passed by the House today.

When the White House made the veto announcement, Speaker of the House John Boehner’s Press Secretary Michael Steel remarked, “How does the White House justify signing the troop funding bill, but vetoing similar measures for veterans and National Parks?  The President can't continue to complain about the impact of the government shutdown on veterans and visitors at National Parks while vetoing bills to help them. The White House position is unsustainably hypocritical.”

HOUSE WILL CONTINUE TO LEAD, FIX PROBLEMS
“Republicans and Democrats have policy differences. But we shouldn’t differ here. Correcting problems for veterans, military families, the National Institute of Health, and visitors to national parks – including the WWII Memorial and North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway – is common sense and provides common ground for Democrats and Republicans to make some progress toward solving this shutdown.” 

 

HOUSE WILL CONTINUE AS BIPARTISAN LEADER
“House Republicans still recognize that it’s going to take bipartisanship to re-open government. And we will continue to lead as the only body that has provided bipartisan solutions for the country.” 

 

 

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