Two years ago, a lack of strong, independent leadership led to a costly government shutdown that put our nation’s stability and security in peril. I fought tirelessly over the past few weeks to avoid this fate, because at the very least, the American people deserve leaders who will come together to keep our government open and work hard for hardworking taxpayers.

A core responsibility of Congress is establishing a yearly budget for the federal government to live within – something that households, businesses and hard-working Americans around this country are forced to do every day. I’m proud to say that, unlike two years ago, Congress was able to put people before politics to keep the government open.

Our work to create an efficient, effective and accountable government is far from done. There are serious issues that need to be addressed and keeping the government open will allow us to face these challenges head on.

Moving forward, I remain committed to working with my colleagues—both Democrats and Republicans—to keep our government open and amplify the voice of the people in the Tenth Congressional District.