The Benicia Herald -- EXCLUSIVE: Congressman says shutdown hurts everyone, must end; GOP being ‘vindictive'
October 6, 2013
By Donna Beth Weilenman
The federal government shutdown is costing $12 million an hour and $300 million a day, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson said Friday in an interview with The Herald. And among those who are losing that money are small businesses and their employees, such as those in his Congressional District 5 that includes Benicia.
He said some in Benicia may feel the pinch indirectly â€" those with guests who had wanted to visit such Bay Area national parks as Alcatraz, which is shuttered for the time being, or who need a passport for an upcoming trip.
But in other parts of the Democrat's Northern California district, the closures are devastating.
For instance, the motels, restaurants and gas stations in Tulelake count on visitors who travel to nearby Tule Lake for duck season that opened Saturday. “It's a big time of year,” Thompson said.
But the federal reserves are closed during the shutdown, inaccessible to hunters. The small motels have had 15 rooms booked for months, but their guests have canceled, Thompson learned when he called to that area.
The local grocers and gas stations also were counting on hunters' patronage, as were the guides who lead hunters to prime spots. But without hunters, the local economy is hurting. “This is a big financial hit,” Thompson said.
Nor is it income those small businesses can recover later on. “They don't put days on at the end of the season,” Thompson said. “You can't get that back.”
While Republicans are proposing passage of smaller bills that are reopening bits and pieces of the federal government, Thompson said Congress needs to pass a comprehensive compromise bill, such as the one that would cut $72 billion from the federal budget.
If introduced today, he said, “it would pass,” even though in the past some of his fellow Democrats said they would have opposed the cuts.
However, the sticking point isn't trimming the budget â€" it's the Affordable Care Act, often nicknamed “Obamacare,” a moniker even President Barack Obama has accepted.
A group of about 40 Republicans are standing firm in their opposition to the ACA, Thompson said, and have used their stance to create “a manufactured crisis to sabotage legislation that was passed three years ago.”
He said it's not a “Twelve Angry Men” situation, in which a minority is simply standing its ground on principle. The difference, Thompson said, is that story is about a trial. What's happening in Congress concerns legislation that became law three years ago.
“They have tried 50 times to overturn that bill. They made it a major campaign issue, and they lost,” he said. The act's opponents also failed in multiple other ways to end its provisions, he said.
The Affordable Care Act isn't perfect, Thompson said. In fact, it could have been improved had more members of Congress reached across party lines to collaborate on the legislation.
“They could have spent more time tweaking it and making it better,” he said. “Some people will never get over this, and will be against it forever.”
But as they battle the health care act, “they're hurting those who depend on a variety of federal programs, from subsidized school lunch programs to national security,” he said.
“They're being vindictive. Americans are seeing through the nonsense. They want the government to stay open.”
They don't like the “heightening chaos,” he said. “Business people don't want the chaos. Schools don't want chaos. People don't want chaos. The American people are siding with folks who want to be reasonable.”
An element of hope came late last week when Speaker of the House John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said he would not let the country default on its loans, in essence promising to raise America's debt ceiling, Thompson said.
“John Boehner is an institutionalist,” Thompson said. “He understands it needs to work. But he's bound up by 40 people on the other side, and (Ted) Cruz in the Senate.”
Cruz, a Republican, is the junior senator from Texas who has pressured Congress to end funding of the ACA. He spent more than 21 hours speaking on the Senate floor Sept. 24, the fourth-longest speech in its history, and has said that the government shutdown wouldn't harm either the country or his party.
But Cruz's efforts have been far from galvanizing, as one observer said recently.
“I never thought I would quote Grover Norquist,” Thompson said about the president of Americans for Tax Reform known for his anti-tax pledge accepted by most congressional Republicans. Norquist told the Washington Post that he had hoped congressional conversations with Obama would address the inequity of the delay of the ACA for “big business and big contributors and organized labor,” but not for individuals.
Instead, Cruz “from left field said we have to defund Obamacare permanently.” Rather than galvanizing Republicans, he said, Cruz is causing more disputes within the party.
“(Norquist) said Ted Cruz has pushed the House Republicants into traffic, then wandered away,” Thompson said.
Thompson is among those who disagree strongly with Cruz, and he expressed hope that “the worst-case scenario” won't be a default Oct. 17, when Congress must vote on raising the debt ceiling.
If the debt ceiling isn't raised, the country won't be paying its bills, Thompson said. Because the United States is a world economic leader, the resulting crash “won't be Benicia or the Fifth Congressional District,” he said. “This will have global impact.”
On a more personal side, he said it also will threaten individuals with 401k retirement savings accounts, leaving them with nothing and little way to recoup their losses.
Thompson doesn't disagree with those who wish the federal government's budget was better managed, so Congress wouldn't keep facing political showdowns such as the one expected on the debt ceiling. Some observers note that that isn't a solution available to citizens trying to balance their budgets.
The cure could be described simply, Thompson said. “Stop spending.”
He recognized that if individuals don't pay their bills, creditors come for their cars, their homes, “and you go down with the ship.”
Thompson said he's seeing some moderate Republicans are working toward the passage of a compromise bill that would fund the government while making the $72 billion in cuts.
If the bill to fund the government were introduced, “It would pass today, with Democrat and Republican support,” he said. “All the Speaker has to do is put it up.”
He said some in Benicia may feel the pinch indirectly â€" those with guests who had wanted to visit such Bay Area national parks as Alcatraz, which is shuttered for the time being, or who need a passport for an upcoming trip.
But in other parts of the Democrat's Northern California district, the closures are devastating.
For instance, the motels, restaurants and gas stations in Tulelake count on visitors who travel to nearby Tule Lake for duck season that opened Saturday. “It's a big time of year,” Thompson said.
But the federal reserves are closed during the shutdown, inaccessible to hunters. The small motels have had 15 rooms booked for months, but their guests have canceled, Thompson learned when he called to that area.
The local grocers and gas stations also were counting on hunters' patronage, as were the guides who lead hunters to prime spots. But without hunters, the local economy is hurting. “This is a big financial hit,” Thompson said.
Nor is it income those small businesses can recover later on. “They don't put days on at the end of the season,” Thompson said. “You can't get that back.”
While Republicans are proposing passage of smaller bills that are reopening bits and pieces of the federal government, Thompson said Congress needs to pass a comprehensive compromise bill, such as the one that would cut $72 billion from the federal budget.
If introduced today, he said, “it would pass,” even though in the past some of his fellow Democrats said they would have opposed the cuts.
However, the sticking point isn't trimming the budget â€" it's the Affordable Care Act, often nicknamed “Obamacare,” a moniker even President Barack Obama has accepted.
A group of about 40 Republicans are standing firm in their opposition to the ACA, Thompson said, and have used their stance to create “a manufactured crisis to sabotage legislation that was passed three years ago.”
He said it's not a “Twelve Angry Men” situation, in which a minority is simply standing its ground on principle. The difference, Thompson said, is that story is about a trial. What's happening in Congress concerns legislation that became law three years ago.
“They have tried 50 times to overturn that bill. They made it a major campaign issue, and they lost,” he said. The act's opponents also failed in multiple other ways to end its provisions, he said.
The Affordable Care Act isn't perfect, Thompson said. In fact, it could have been improved had more members of Congress reached across party lines to collaborate on the legislation.
“They could have spent more time tweaking it and making it better,” he said. “Some people will never get over this, and will be against it forever.”
But as they battle the health care act, “they're hurting those who depend on a variety of federal programs, from subsidized school lunch programs to national security,” he said.
“They're being vindictive. Americans are seeing through the nonsense. They want the government to stay open.”
They don't like the “heightening chaos,” he said. “Business people don't want the chaos. Schools don't want chaos. People don't want chaos. The American people are siding with folks who want to be reasonable.”
An element of hope came late last week when Speaker of the House John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said he would not let the country default on its loans, in essence promising to raise America's debt ceiling, Thompson said.
“John Boehner is an institutionalist,” Thompson said. “He understands it needs to work. But he's bound up by 40 people on the other side, and (Ted) Cruz in the Senate.”
Cruz, a Republican, is the junior senator from Texas who has pressured Congress to end funding of the ACA. He spent more than 21 hours speaking on the Senate floor Sept. 24, the fourth-longest speech in its history, and has said that the government shutdown wouldn't harm either the country or his party.
But Cruz's efforts have been far from galvanizing, as one observer said recently.
“I never thought I would quote Grover Norquist,” Thompson said about the president of Americans for Tax Reform known for his anti-tax pledge accepted by most congressional Republicans. Norquist told the Washington Post that he had hoped congressional conversations with Obama would address the inequity of the delay of the ACA for “big business and big contributors and organized labor,” but not for individuals.
Instead, Cruz “from left field said we have to defund Obamacare permanently.” Rather than galvanizing Republicans, he said, Cruz is causing more disputes within the party.
“(Norquist) said Ted Cruz has pushed the House Republicants into traffic, then wandered away,” Thompson said.
Thompson is among those who disagree strongly with Cruz, and he expressed hope that “the worst-case scenario” won't be a default Oct. 17, when Congress must vote on raising the debt ceiling.
If the debt ceiling isn't raised, the country won't be paying its bills, Thompson said. Because the United States is a world economic leader, the resulting crash “won't be Benicia or the Fifth Congressional District,” he said. “This will have global impact.”
On a more personal side, he said it also will threaten individuals with 401k retirement savings accounts, leaving them with nothing and little way to recoup their losses.
Thompson doesn't disagree with those who wish the federal government's budget was better managed, so Congress wouldn't keep facing political showdowns such as the one expected on the debt ceiling. Some observers note that that isn't a solution available to citizens trying to balance their budgets.
The cure could be described simply, Thompson said. “Stop spending.”
He recognized that if individuals don't pay their bills, creditors come for their cars, their homes, “and you go down with the ship.”
Thompson said he's seeing some moderate Republicans are working toward the passage of a compromise bill that would fund the government while making the $72 billion in cuts.
If the bill to fund the government were introduced, “It would pass today, with Democrat and Republican support,” he said. “All the Speaker has to do is put it up.”