Huffman: It’s Time for Bipartisanship, Not Hyperpartisan Budget Brinkmanship

September 26, 2013

WASHINGTON­— Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) responded today to House Republicans’ threats to force a government shutdown or cause the United States to default on its debt if the Affordable Care Act is not delayed and dismantled. In light of the ongoing brinksmanship, Huffman released this video, the latest in his “Ask Jared” video series, answering an email from a constituent from Sebastopol.

“None of my years in Sacramento hold a candle to the chaos we are experiencing right now in the House of Representatives,” Congressman Huffman said. “I will keep working in every way I can with reasonable people in Congress to try to come up with solutions, avoid a government shutdown, and get our fiscal house in order in a balanced and appropriate way.”

Congressman Huffman’s video response may be found HERE:

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A transcript of the video may be found below:

"Hi, it’s Congressman Jared Huffman, and today I’m responding to a letter from Laura in Sebastopol. Laura wrote to me expressing her concerns about House Republicans’ attempt – almost 42 of them at this point—to defund Obamacare, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and most recently, to even threaten to shut down the government if they are unable to do that. I’m getting a lot of letters and messages on this issue, and so, Laura, I want to respond directly to this because I know a lot of my constituents are thinking about it.

By way of background, before I came to Congress I was in the California State Assembly and at the time we were going through a budget crisis that became infamous really for midnight sessions, all-night sessions, last minute solutions. It wasn’t pretty. But I will tell you that in my years in Sacramento, none of it holds a candle to the chaos we are experiencing right now in the House of Representatives. Because even in the depths of the dysfunction in Sacramento, at least our leaders were trying to find bipartisan compromises and solutions. And unfortunately, the leadership in the House of Representatives right now is simply refusing to negotiate with Democrats. Instead, they are doubling down on these irresponsible bills and this political theater, things that have no chance of becoming law.

To give you an example: the Republican Majority in the House has proposed to deeply cut the SNAP nutrition program, also known as food stamps. This would be a cut of nearly 40 billion dollars, it would kick nearly 4 million Americans off the program at a time when many working families are struggling and need this assistance. And this is not going to become law. It is passionately opposed by Democrats in the House, and the Democratic Majority in the Senate is not going to let it happen, and the President has said that he’s not going to let it happen. And yet, we saw that bill advanced by the House this past week in Congress.

The House Majority is also trying—attempt number 42—to repeal the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. And it is true, as your letters suggest, they are trying to shut down the government this time if they don’t get their way. Now it’s important to know that a government shutdown would be really bad news for millions of Americans.  It would be hard on families and businesses around the country. It would be really bad news for our economy that’s just starting to recover and get moving. The Republican Majority is also proposing as part of that a Continuing Resolution that would lock in as permanent the devastating Sequester cut level. Again something that deeply hurts our economy at a time when we just can’t afford that.

So meanwhile, I and my Democratic colleagues are waiting on the outside. We are eager to be part of problem solving, eager to be part of governing this country—if the GOP Majority would simply show some interest in doing those things.  I am continuing to try and reach out to responsible House Republicans. I believe many of them don’t want to shut down the government. I know that they don’t want the United States to default on our debt for the first time in history. And I’m trying to remind them that there is another way, the bipartisan way that Congress has always solved big problems.

My hope is that they will realize that this extreme Tea Party wing of the Republic Caucus controls less than one half of one third of our government, that they don’t have to get their way on these things. There is another more responsible alternative, and that’s for folks to come together, Republicans and Democrats, and solve these problems.

While I push for that to happen, though, I’m also doing some specific things. So, just a few days ago I voted for a Democratic proposal that would have replaced the sequester cuts and fully funded the government. It would have achieved deficit reduction at the agreed upon level in the Budget Control Act, and it would have done all this in a way that avoids a government shutdown and more manufactured political crises that threaten our economic recovery. Unfortunately, it failed on party lines.

But we will keep pushing and I will keep working in every way I can with reasonable people in Congress to try to come up with solutions, avoid a government shutdown, and get our fiscal house in order in a balanced and appropriate way.

Thanks for your question and I hope that gives you an idea of where I stand on these issues.”

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