Washington, D.C.— With just over a week to avoid a shutdown, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate Monday evening, urging his colleagues to work together to ensure Congress meets its most basic responsibility: keeping the federal government open.
Donnelly said, “It is embarrassing that some in Congress are willing to bring us to the brink of a government shutdown and would rather play games with our recovering economy than solve the problems and challenges in front of us.”
Donnelly also said during the speech:
- “I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, most Hoosiers think Congress can play a role in improving the economy — but at the very least we shouldn’t make things worse.”
- “And now, despite the lessons learned just two years ago, we are once again debating whether Congress can meet its most basic needs and basic duties: keeping the government open.”
- “The truth is there is reason to be optimistic in our country. Unemployment is dropping and nowhere in the world are there more opportunities to invest and to innovate in a brighter future and stronger economy than right here in the United States. But to realize our full potential, we have real work to do. We need to create more good-paying jobs that can support a family and strengthen a community. We need to invest in a 21st century infrastructure. And we need to prepare and train a workforce ready to lead the world in both innovation and production.”
- “Over the last several weeks, we have heard a lot of rhetoric about making America great again. America is already great and it starts with the basics and that’s what we need to get back to — by showing up to work every day and doing our jobs — just like every Hoosier does.”
To watch Donnelly’s full speech, click here.
