As you no doubt know, right now, Washington, D.C. is at a standstill.  Instead of working together to keep the government open and protect affordable health care, Republicans have chosen to walk away from bipartisan negotiations—and the result is a government shutdown that puts all kinds of burdens on millions of Americans.

Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House.  They have the power to end this shutdown.  But instead of doing the hard work of governing, they’ve handed over decision-making to the White House, which is enacting laws and issuing orders based on reckless policies that raise costs, take away health care, and put families in jeopardy.  And it is doing so with impunity while Congress fails to insist on accountability.  

This government shutdown shows the failure of leadership and the elevation of gamesmanship.  (Look no further than the memes from the President of the United States.)  Now, perhaps unsurprisingly, Republicans are trying to blame Democrats for their failure to govern.  Again, Republicans control the House, the Senate, and White House.  They have not only the ability but the responsibility to prevent—and now to end—a government shutdown by putting a bill on the floor of the House and the Senate that has the votes to pass.  It’s that simple.

I came back to Washington this week to do my job: fight for responsible government, protect health care for millions of Americans, and work toward real bipartisan solutions.  I remain ready to work with anyone—Democrat or Republican—to reopen our government and make sure it works for the people it serves.  I will not give in or give up.  And I will not support this Administration’s abuse of power or this Congress’ failure to fight for the people, and for the principle that ours is a government of the people—not one person.

That’s what Texans in the Seventh District elected me to do, and that’s what I’ll keep doing.

Together we can do anything,