Senator Murray’s Statement on Federal Government Shutdown

Tonight, U.S. Senator Patty Murray made the following statement on the federal government shutdown.

“Tonight I join with so many Washington families in being frustrated and disappointed that House Republicans have shut down the federal government over a crisis of their own creation. Shutting down the government over a law that has – and will continue to – provide Washington families with access to affordable health care is the height of irresponsibility and Washington state families deserve better.

“In the hours and days ahead I will continue to work to pass a bill to fund the government that is free from unrelated ideological attacks so that our state’s economy, our veterans, federal workers, and students don’t pay the price for House Republicans’ political games.

“To be clear, this shutdown would be over immediately if Speaker Boehner would simply allow both Democrats and Republicans in the House to vote on the bill the Senate has passed multiple times to continue funding the government. But to this point, Republican leaders have chosen shutdown over sanity and politics over the many people who will be impacted by shuttering the government.

“Families from across the political spectrum are sick of governing by crisis and the uncertainty it creates for businesses and communities. That’s why for six months I have fought every day for the budget that I passed in the Senate to be negotiated with the budget passed in the House. But at every turn I’ve been rebuffed by Tea Party Republicans who insist that the only way to negotiate is by holding our economy hostage in exchange for outrageous political demands.

“I firmly believe that I would be doing a disservice to the families that I represent if I were to give in to this type of behavior. The last thing anyone should want is a government shutdown, but the days of a small political faction holding the entire nation back from addressing the much larger challenges we face must come to an end.”