Politics at its Worst

Dear Friends,

Today, this first day of October, House Republicans reached a new low. A minority of extreme conservatives has taken the Republican Party hostage, and the result is a completely avoidable disaster. National parks and Smithsonian museums are closed. Tours of the Capitol are discontinued. Countless government services, from medical research to housing assistance to veterans benefits, will experience interruptions as hundreds of thousands of federal employees are furloughed, placing financial strain on our dedicated public servants. But as all of this turmoil swirls around us, threatening our economy and potentially costing millions of dollars, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are resolute. They will not budge unless the Affordable Care Act – the law of the land that was passed by Congress, signed by the President and upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States – is decimated.

This is politics at its worst.

Rhode Islanders are fed up with the stalemate and, frankly, so am I. But I believe that times of great challenge can yield great opportunity. I am hopeful that these tumultuous weeks will result in a realization that negotiation and compromise should come before grandstanding and self-preservation. Regardless of party affiliation, an inability to pass good legislation and protect the interests of constituents is bad for everybody. If things don’t turn around, the legacy of this Congress will be one of inaction.

I’m not ready to accept that. I believe that if we commit ourselves to civil discourse and productive, bipartisan cooperation, we can improve the atmosphere on Capitol Hill and be remembered for positive achievements like passing immigration reform, taking a balanced approach to tax reform and creating a job-friendly economic climate. If we put the politics behind us, the legacy of this Congress can be one of progress.

We need to do better, and we need your help to do that. Share your thoughts via email, Facebook and Twitter, and check out my YouTube and Flickr pages.

            Sincerely,