As we enter another week of the Democrat-inflicted government shutdown, I want to spell things out clearly for Alabamians: Democrats are using hardworking Americans as political pawns in a desperate attempt to revive their leftist agenda that voters soundly rejected. They’ve openly admitted their tactics will hurt families and seem indifferent to the suffering their political games are causing.
Under President Trump’s leadership, America turned a corner. We’ve restored jobs, rebuilt our energy independence, and secured our borders. House Republicans have continued that momentum, fighting to rein in reckless spending and return power to our people. Our Working Families Tax Cuts Act made President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent; it will save taxpayers millions, cut waste, and ensure that hardworking American taxpayers – not illegal immigrants – benefit from the programs their taxes fund. The left hates the progress we have made.
Through Republican leadership, we are returning to regular order. The annual appropriations process allows lawmakers to go line by line through the federal budget and ensure that federal spending matches your priorities. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am proud of the measurable progress we have made toward responsibly funding the government through that process. We reported all 12 funding bills out of committee and passed three on the House floor. Unfortunately, we ran out of time before the fiscal year ended.
House Republicans came to the table with a solution that would keep the government open and allow us to continue this work. Democrats responded with a temper tantrum – seeing this as their chance to gain leverage with their far-left base.
They’ve taken a routine funding measure and turned it into a hostage crisis, holding Americans as ransom to force through their $1.5 trillion “counter proposal” that includes wasteful spending for things like radical media programs, foreign climate schemes, and partisan advocacy projects. This gridlock isn’t accidental; it’s a deliberate sabotage of Trump’s America First agenda. Democrats are trying to appease their far-left base and be seen as “obstructing Trump” just to score political points.
I didn’t run for Congress to play Washington games. The people of Alabama sent me here to fight for accountability, transparency, and common sense. That means standing firm when the Democrats demand yet another blank check for policies that have already failed the American people.
Even though Republicans have a majority in both the House and the Senate, at present, a 60-vote majority is needed in the Senate to move a bill forward. With 53 Republican senators, that means seven Senate Democrats will have to put the American people first and reopen the government.
Every day this shutdown continues, the blame rests squarely on the Democrats’ shoulders.
It’s time to reopen the government – not by surrendering to partisan extortion, but by standing up for the American people and the values that built this nation. I’ll keep fighting until that happens.
Congressman Dale W. Strong represents the Fifth District of Alabama and is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on Homeland Security.
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