WASHINGTON – Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after Senate Democrats shut down the government:
“Instead of doing the right thing by funding our military, providing health care for our children, and supporting key governmental entities that serve Arkansans and all Americans, Democrats have shut down our government over unrelated issues and unrelated deadlines. I’ve said it a dozen times, but I’ll say it again – unlike the Senate, the House passed all of our spending bills through the committee process and approved them before our September 30, 2017 deadline.
“It’s utterly shameful that the other side of the aisle is using our children and men and women in uniform as political bargaining chips. I have publicly stated that I strongly support finding an equitable solution for those undocumented immigrants brought here by their parents through no fault of their own. I have met with some of these Dreamers from Arkansas, and I believe the Democrats are only using them as leverage to score political points on the last page of a budget bill that has nothing to do with immigration.
Further, at this time of unprecedented national security threats, Democrats are jeopardizing funding, training, new systems, and strategic upgrades to meet the rapidly changing landscape in North Asia, the Middle East, and in the global cyber sphere.
“Republicans want to find a solution to this issue, and there are multiple proposals currently in the Congress, but the political grandstanding from the Democrats saying ‘it’s our way or nothing’ only hurts the chances of finding a compromise. Instead of playing politics, I urge Democrats to prioritize funding for our military, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), federal agencies and our federal workers, and other key governmental entities to ensure they have the resources they need to fulfill their duties and serve hardworking Arkansans and Americans.”
