WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement. 

“Everyone is convinced they’ll win – but in reality, nobody wins in a government shutdown.  The ‘blame game’ makes for great Washington theater, but doesn’t serve the needs of the nation.

“Our military – which desperately needs additional funding as they are already scraping by – doesn’t win.  The American people who expect the government to be functioning and operating don’t win.  And cynicism about the ability of Congress and the President to solve our nation’s problems increases even further.

“Simply put, there’s no reason to shut the government down and no reason to continue this chaos for the next 30 days.  Continuing resolutions are devastating to our military.  As General Mattis said this morning, no enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of the U.S. military than the combination of defense spending cuts and continuing resolutions.  He’s exactly right.

“We could easily pass a continuing resolution – which lasts days (certainly more than the four proposed by the Senate Minority Leader) and less than the 30 days passed by the House of Representatives – to close the deal on outstanding issues which remain.

“It’s time Congress stop the cycle of dysfunction, grow up, and act consistent with the values of a great nation.  The White House should engage and lead us to a solution.

“We are inside the 10 yard line on a lot of major issues – military spending, government spending, CHIP, stabilizing insurance markets, disaster relief, and Phase I immigration reform. 

“The U.S. military has to work to accomplish their objectives.  They don’t get to point fingers or pass the buck.  Congress could learn a lot from them and learn to get the job done regardless who gets the credit, or in this case, the blame.”

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