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Costa Statement on Government Shutdown

January 20, 2018

Washington, DC – Today Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16) issued the following statement after Congress failed to pass a spending continuing resolution to keep the government open:

"As members of Congress, passing a budget and funding the services our government provides is our most basic function. With today's government shutdown, we once again see political brinkmanship prevail over commonsense governance. We never should have gotten here in the first place. It is completely unacceptable that we resort to funding the government for only weeks at a time because we cannot come to an agreement on a long-term budget. Funding the government month-by-month – with the looming potential of a shutdown each time we must pass another spending bill – causes uncertainty in programs which are vital for Americans, our businesses, our national defense, our military servicemembers, and our veterans.

"There is too much at stake for Congress to continue playing these partisan games with programs that affect Americans' daily lives. Every day, an average of 122 DREAMers lose their protections, and we must provide them with permanent legislative protections. We must also extend funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, before children across our nation lose their health care. In the San Joaquin Valley, we know how important these programs are in our communities and just how significantly they impact the people of the Valley. We have roughly 1,200 DREAMers enrolled at UC Merced and Fresno State, and our Valley children depend on CHIP for their medical care. As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to the people who sent us to Congress to serve their best interests. I call on my Republican and Democratic colleagues to step up and join me in meeting that responsibility.

"The only way Congress will be able to find real and long-term solutions to the challenges Americans are facing is by Democrats and Republicans coming together to engage in serious bipartisan deliberation, negotiations, and policymaking. This is not always the easiest thing to do, but it must be done, and it can be done. For years I have been reaching across the aisle to engage in this type of policymaking because this is the responsible leadership and good governance the American people deserve. I invite my colleagues to join me in putting party to the side, putting Americans first, and working for these bipartisan, deliberative policy solutions."