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Congressman Bill Enyart Proposes Continuing Resolution To 'Put American Government Back To Work'

(WikepediaCommons)

Democratic Congressman Bill Enyart is frustrated with the partial government shutdown.

Enyart, who represents areas of Southern Illinois and East St. Louis, supports a continuing resolution that would allow the National Guard to be paid and put the VA and 70 percent of the CIA back to work. A veteran with over 35 years of military service, Enyart contends that the best way to support the troops is to reopen the government.

“All we have to do, and I made a motion on the House floor yesterday, is to have a continuing resolution,” Enyart said. “I called it what it is, a ‘put the American government back to work bill.’”

His amendment would allow funding for the government for six weeks, giving the House and Senate time to negotiate a new budget and end the shutdown.

Enyart maintains that there are enough Democratic and Republican votes to pass the continuing resolution, if House Speaker John Boehner would allow it to be brought to the floor.

“I think that there are people on the far right and the far left who are going to have to compromise," Enyart said.  "And if they don’t compromise it’s going to be people like me in the middle who will make this happen."

Follow Kate Essig on Twitter: @KateEssig