Barrow says Congress will pass a budget resolution if allowed to vote | The Augusta Chronicle

The current budget crisis could be resolved if the Speaker of the House of Representatives would allow members to vote on a “clean” continuing resolution, U.S. Rep John Barrow said Monday.

The Democrat congressman whose 12th District covers much of the Augusta area, spoke to a group of constituents Monday morning at the Columbia County Government Complex in Evans. He told those gathered that enough Republican support was there to end the standoff if House Speaker John Boehner will allow a vote that did not include defunding the Affordable Care Act.

“I think it would pass if he would allow it,” Barrow said. “He’s the traffic cop. He’s the one who gets to decide what we vote on.”

Whether that will happen, remains to be seen. Boehner has said he will not allow such a vote.

Barrow said the government shutdown was forced by a small faction of Republicans and it will be up to Boehner and House leadership to end the stalemate.

“We don’t have to shut down 99 percent of the government because we don’t agree on one percent,” he said. “It looks like those folks who started this are going to have to feel more pain before this is over.”

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