Arizona’s congressional members are speaking out in frustration with the gridlock which now appears to have been the plan all along, according to Congressman Matt Salmon.
“Americans learned the truth about President Obama’s plan to end the government shutdown – there is none,” said Salmon. “According to his senior staff, the President simply intends to wait it out and ‘win’. That a ‘senior administration official’ from the White House would imply that the government shutdown is just a game is nothing short of shameful and irresponsible,” said Salmon.
“Both Democrats and Republicans agree that a government shutdown is harmful to the lives of ordinary Americans. This is why House Republicans continue to offer solutions to end the shutdown and begin providing funding for critical non-controversial agencies. Sadly, Senate Democrats continue to reject them. Even worse, President Obama continues to issue veto threats on bills that would immediately fund veterans’ benefits, life-saving cancer research and national guard and reserve members.
“Given the statement by his senior staff, now we know why the President is refusing to fund the government. He wants to wait out the shutdown and try to place the blame on Republicans. This is not leadership.
“If President Obama is serious about leading our country out of this mess, he could take cue from the 57 House Democrats – including two from Arizona – who have voted with Republicans to fund certain government agencies since the shutdown began. These Democrats are willing to negotiate with Republicans so we can move forward and re-open the entire government.
“It’s now day 4 of the government shutdown and the difference is becoming increasingly clear: Republicans continue to talk about opening up the government; Democrats continue to talk about how to keep it closed.”
Arizona Representative Paul Gosar went further, calling the President and Senate Democrats’ position “so extreme that they won’t even pass temporary measures to restore funding in a few critical areas. When asked why he wouldn’t vote to help even one child with cancer by passing a bill that would provide funding for pediatric cancer research, Senator Harry Reid said, “Why would we want to do that?”
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that a senior administration official said, “‘We are winning…It doesn’t really matter to us’ how long the shutdown lasts ‘because what matters is the end result.’”