OBAMA WORKS OVERTIME TO INCONVENIENCE AMERICANS, STILL WON'T TALK TO HOUSE LEADERS

Washington, DC - Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today issued the following statement regarding the President's refusal to talk to House leaders and find a compromise to reopen the government, but works overtime to maximize pain for everyday Americans:

“Not only is the President going out of his way to avoid talking to House leaders to end the shutdown, he is going the extra mile to make sure the Obama Shutdown hurts fellow Americans, even when it doesn’t have to.   We first began to see this when his Administration ordered the Park Service to blockade access to the World War II Memorial for the very men and women who won that war.  The memorial is an open area – what mindset would think to blockade an open area?  Then the Park Service in Yellowstone National Park locked American and foreign tourists in a hotel under armed guard to ensure they could not walk around the park to view Old Faithful.  When the Congress passed a bill last week to pay our troops any and all benefits, the Obama Defense Department decided that didn’t include death benefits to families of fallen soldiers. They are even preventing contract priests to administer mass to Catholic military members.”

“The President can’t blame these actions on the people who work for him.  These unnecessary and hurtful tactics are deliberate and stem from the political gamesmanship that the President and his political underlings in the White House have deployed to gain maximum political advantage during this crisis.  To him, it’s just politics, and if you suffer, so be it.”

“I cannot think of another President who would play politics with the families of fallen soldiers. President Obama should stop playing petty politics and work with his constitutional partners to resolve this crisis now.”

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Media Contact: Melissa Kelly

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