Rep. Latham: “Government shutdown unfortunately continues”

From Rep. Tom Latham –

As a government shutdown unfortunately continues, I wanted to take a moment to again assure the residents of the Iowa’s Third Congressional District I will continue to do everything I can to move us forward and get the full government working again.

The U.S. House of Representatives will remain in session over the weekend – ready to resolve this current impasse.

I continue to believe that common sense solutions can be achieved rather quickly when Washington sets aside senseless politics, partisanship and pandering, and commits to working together and listening to each other – and even more importantly – listening to the American people.

The House of Representatives continues to pass non-controversial & clean funding bills (with no amendments or conditions attached) to reopen government priorities. This has been a bipartisan effort with more and more Democrats joining the Republicans in the House to vote in support of these efforts (57 Democrats have supported one or more of these bills).

Here’s a list of bills the House has passed this week to quickly reopen the government or fund critical government operations – with no conditions attached to the funding:

Bill: H.R. 3210 Pay Our Military Act
This is legislation which I offered with four of my colleagues on September 28, 2013. The measure ensures our military, reserve components, and Department of Defense civilian employees would be paid in the event of a government shutdown.
Status: Passed the House by a vote of 423-0. Passed in the Senate by unanimous consent. President Obama signed it into law on September 30, 2013.
Bill: H.J. Res. 71 Local Funding for the District of Columbia Act
Allows our nation’s capital to continue operating using its own funding.
Status: Passed the House by a voice vote on October 2, 2013. The Senate has yet to debate or consider this bill*. President Obama has issued a veto threat.

Bill: H.J. Res. 70 Open Our National Parks and Museums Act
Opens all of our national parks and museums, including the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC that was initially closed to veterans by the administration.
Status: Passed the House by a vote of 252-173 on October 2, 2013. The Senate has yet to debate or consider this bill*. President Obama has issued a veto threat.

Bill: H.J. Res. 73 Research For Life Saving Cures Act
Provides funding for the National Institute of Health, which is responsible for lifesaving medical innovations and cancer research.
Status: Passed the House by a vote of 254-171 on October 2, 2013. The Senate has yet to debate or consider this bill*. President Obama has issued a veto threat.

Bill: H.R. 3230 Pay Our Guard and Reserve Act
Ensures the government shutdown doesn’t affect pay for our National Guard and Reserve.
Status: Passed the House by a vote of 265-160 on October 3, 2013. The Senate has yet to debate or consider this bill*. President Obama has issued a veto threat.

Bill: H.J. Res. 72 Honoring Our Promise to America’s Veterans
Ensures funds are available for veterans’ disability payments, the GI bill, education training, and VA home loans.
Status: Passed the House by a vote of 259-157 on October 3, 2013. The Senate has yet to debate or consider this bill*. President Obama has issued a veto threat.

* The United States Senate has not taken a single vote on any measure since Monday, September 30, 2013. Sources: http://www.congress.gov; http://gop.gov/legdigest; http://http://thomas.loc.gov