As of midnight, the Democrat-controlled Senate has refused to pass any of the three continuing resolutions proposed by the House of Representatives. As a result, the federal government will shut down until an agreement can be reached to resume government funding.
I have always believed that Congress should be held to the same standards as everyone else. As a result, I have made the difficult decision that my staff will be furloughed. And, though the Constitution requires that members of Congress must be paid, I will pay back to the U.S. Treasury the salary I am paid during the shutdown. I had hoped that a shutdown could be avoided: I encourage all New Mexicans to contact their Senators and urge them to pass the House Continuing Resolution and end the shutdown.
I have voted three times to prevent a shutdown, and have asked all sides to negotiate and compromise to reach a fair solution.
From the beginning, I have advocated the elimination of Obamacare exemptions for Congress and congressional staff. I submitted an amendment to the Continuing Resolution, and introduced legislation, H.R. 3198, to accomplish this goal. Today, the House has made this a central piece of its position on the bill to continue to fund the government: Washington lawmakers, staffers, and appointees must sign up for Obamacare just like all Americans. We must end the special privileges for the political class in Washington. More importantly, I call on my colleagues in the Senate to stop demanding special privileges for themselves and do the right thing and align Washington with the rest of the nation.
God bless you, and God bless America.
STEVE PEARCE
Member of Congress
