Lawmakers working for the weekend—and they had plenty to say about it. 
Lawmakers were on Capitol Hill working for the weekend—and they had plenty to say about it. Democrats and Republicans took to the House floor, the media and Twitter to sound off as the House and Senate continue the game of legislative chicken to the looming government shutdown.
Here are the greatest hits from the day:
After cheering for House Republicans’ new stopgap budget plan, Congressman John Culberson of Texas recalled referencing a quote from a passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93, the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania after being hijacked by al Qaeda terrorists on Sept. 11.“The whole room: ‘Let’s vote!’” Culberson recalled to MSNBC. “I said, like 9/11, ‘let’s roll!’”
Today’s vote by House Republicans is pointless. The American people will not be extorted by Tea Party anarchists. #GOPshutdown— Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) September 28, 2013
Dem Rep. Lois Frankel quoting Dr. Seuss on the floor right now to describe chaos in House. I won’t even try to paraphrase it.— Suzy Khimm (@SuzyKhimm) September 28, 2013
Can’t believe the #TeaParty is holding the country and my district #CA13 hostage. #GOPShutdown#EnoughAlready— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) September 28, 2013
Ranking Republican Tom Cole had a change of heart after he once called blocking Obamacare as a “suicidal political tactic.”“I’m very supportive of it,” he told reporters Saturday. “I think our conference is totally unified behind this.”
Instead of denying healthcare to the American people, how about denying multibillion dollar tax giveaways to oil companies? #GOPshutdown— Rep. Ted Deutch (@RepTedDeutch) September 28, 2013
Florida Republican Rep. Trey Radel called the new House plan a “compromise” for opting to delay Obamacare rather than defund it entirely. “The ball is not in my court anymore,” he said on MSNBC Saturday. “Today we’re going to pass this legislation. The ball is In Harry Reid’s court. The government shutdown rides on him.”Republicans are “undoubtedly” employing a political tactic as well, Radel added.“What’s going to happen is that we’re going to win the Senate, and we’re then going to be able to do what’s best for the American people,” he said. Watch the clip:
A group of Republicans is willing to hurt our economy over a law they don’t like. Tell them #EnoughAlready: http://t.co/VkiQHZT23d— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 28, 2013
Is that Nero toting his fiddle in the #GOPshutdown conference? or do I hear Warren #Zevon “I was in the House when the house burned down.”— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) September 28, 2013
“It’s like watching theater, or maybe the circus,” Democratic Rep. Xavier Becerra told POLITICO.
