Dear Colleague on Congress' Responsibility to Act on Bipartisan Priorities

January 21, 2018
Press Release

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Dear Democratic Colleague,

Today, the Democratic Women of the House called upon the President to come to the table to reach agreement for the American people.  At our press conference, we emphasized our support for our men and women in uniform and our responsibility to keep the American people safe.

Democrats are simply asking for action on the bipartisan priorities outlined in the January 18 letter to the President led by Congressman Peter Welch and signed by 171 House Democrats.  In the presentation this morning, the women emphasized solutions and resources for:

  • Addressing the opioid epidemic;

  • Funding for veterans' services and infrastructure;

  • Reauthorizing CHIP and community health centers;

  • Saving Americans' endangered pensions;

  • Protecting the DREAMers;

  • Providing strong disaster recovery funding including Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and victims of wildfires;

  • A budget that funds the military and the domestic investments that keep our nation strong.

While we are making progress at the negotiating table, some Republicans in the House are reluctant to support the principle of parity between defense spending and domestic spending.

The Republicans have massively increased the national debt with the GOP tax scam's giveaways to corporations and the wealthiest.  Now, they hypocritically use the debt as an excuse not to increase the domestic budget, which as you know includes vital security functions: Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, the State Department, and anti-terrorism activities at the Department of Justice.

It is essential to increase the domestic funding CAP highlighted by the Democratic women this morning and in the Welch letter.  This will give us room for investing in infrastructure, research and development, and education – which create jobs, raise wages, and bring revenue to the Treasury thereby reducing the deficit.

The unity of Congressional Democrats has served our country well and will help us reach a bipartisan agreement soon to end the Trump Shutdown.  As ever, we give thanks to the outside groups and hard-working families that have amplified our message across the nation.

If and when the Speaker ever shares legislative or scheduling information with us, we will share it with you immediately.

Thank you again for your leadership and friendship.

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