“With all due respect, Mr. Speaker, this is the U.S. House of Representatives; it is not a battlefield. It is not time for us to fight; it is time for us to vote. Our constituents sent us here to get things done, to work together”, said Rep. Bonamici.
On October 7, 2013 Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives for one minute regarding the government shutdown.
“Mr. Speaker, today is day 7 of an unnecessary and harmful government shutdown that is hurting millions of Americans. Speaker Boehner called it an “epic battle.” Hundreds of thousands are out of work, Federal contractors aren’t getting paid, small businesses aren’t getting loans, home purchases are on hold, nutrition programs are at risk, and Speaker Boehner has said, “It is time for us to stand and fight.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Speaker, this is the U.S. House of Representatives; it is not a battlefield. It is not time for us to fight; it is time for us to vote. Our constituents sent us here to get things done, to work together. It is not time to fight; it is time to reopen the Federal Government. It is not time to fight; it is time to raise the debt ceiling and pay our bills. It is not time to fight; it is time to get the budget conference committee to work, something we have been asking for for months”, she said.
“We can do it today, Mr. Speaker. It is not time to fight; it is time to vote. It is not a surrender; it is a solution. It is not time to fight; it is time to vote”, said Rep. Bonamici (source: Congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov).
Rep. Bonamici serves on two critical Committees in the U.S. House of Representatives. The first is the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the second is the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. She is also the Democratic leader on the Subcommittee on the Environment.
She is generally well regarded by her colleagues on both sides of the political spectrum.
She is married and has a cocker spaniel named Charley, according to her official biography (source: http://bonamici.house.gov/about-me/full-biography).