As Congress barrels toward a potential federal government shutdown at the end of the month, 11 freshmen Republican members of congress are urging their colleagues in the GOP who are pushing for a shutdown over funding for Planned Parenthood to pass a temporary spending measure to keep the government open.
“[W]e are writing today to express our strong support for a funding resolution that will avoid another unnecessary and harmful government shutdown,” the members wrote in a letter to their colleagues obtained by Politico. “[W]e were elected by our constituent’s (sic) to be principled, pragmatic leaders… The sixteen-day government shutdown in 2013 … not only hurt taxpayers with the loss of important government services — it actually cost more taxpayer money to close the federal government than to keep it open.”
Reps. Ryan Costello (R-PA), Elise Stefanik (R-NY, Mimi Walters (R-CA), Daniel Donovan (R-NY), John Katko (R-NY), Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Amata Radewagen (R-AS), Cresent Hardy (R-NV), Bruce Poliquin (R-ME), Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Tom MacArther (R-NJ) signed the letter, according to Politico. Freshmen members of Congress are some of the most vulnerable when it comes to re-election. The representatives are also all members of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of moderate Republicans.
The House returns to work on Thursday, when Congress will have one week to negotiate a deal to keep the government open.
