Republicans are once again taking us to the edge of a government shutdown, demanding we take away health care from the American people. Defunding Planned Parenthood would deny hundreds of thousands of Americans access to services such as birth control, cancer screenings, and STI tests.

We know shutting the government down will disrupt the economy and cost us jobs – it did in 2013 and it will if Republicans do it again. I hope my colleagues in both the House and the Senate come to their senses. Kids in Head Start, federal employees, the men and women of our military and law enforcement agencies and so many others should not pay the price for such a radical agenda.