Udall Statement on Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall released the following statement:

"A small minority of extremists in the Republican party is now holding the entire country hostage over a law that has cleared the Congress and the Supreme Court, and survived a presidential election. Insisting on a government shutdown to prove a point isn't leadership, it's a temper tantrum, and the American people are rightly disgusted. In New Mexico, the impacts of a shutdown will be felt immediately as our civilian employees are sent home from military installations, national parks and forests close to tourists, and countless other services are halted. If the shutdown lasts several days or weeks, the impacts will ripple through our state's economy, hurting thousands of people in communities from Lordsburg to Los Alamos. The House could end this stalemate at any time. If there were a vote in the House on the bill that has twice cleared the Senate, it would pass in the House. I urge House Republicans to pass the Senate bill so we can focus on our priorities: rebuilding our economy and getting the American people back to work."