WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Green released the following statement as Congress prepares to vote on a spending bill this week to fund the government and avert a government shutdown Friday at midnight:

“We are days away from yet another avoidable government shutdown and once again funding for federal programs might be delayed because of partisan politics,” said Green. President Trump and my Republican colleagues must choose to serve the people or the party.”

“Sabotaging the Affordable Care Act by withholding subsidies that allow working families to purchase affordable, high-quality health insurance and threatening to shut down the government if a down payment for President Trump’s border wall is not included is simply irresponsible. I will continue to oppose any funding for the border wall in Congress, which is opposed by a majority of Texans for good reason – it will harm our economy, our border communities, and become a permanent stain on our state’s close ties with Mexico. We already have barriers and protection on our border.”

“Americans expect Congress to work together and find bipartisan solutions that address real challenges, like discovering cures for the most challenging diseases or rebuilding our aging infrastructure, and not wasting taxpayer’s money on an unnecessary wall. I urge both sides to put politics aside and work together to get the job done.”

The last government shutdown in October 2013, lasted 16 days, and led to the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers, closed national parks, shuttered childcare for military families, froze government contracts for large and small businesses, as well as adding billions of dollars to the federal deficit.