Rep. Tim Bishop Discusses Government Shutdown on RNN

On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Tim Bishop, a Southampton Democrat, went on television to discuss the ongoing federal government shutdown and the prospects for ending the standoff in Congress.

Speaking to RNN, a metro-area cable and satellite 24-hour news network, Bishop said the government needs to reopen and be able to pay its bills. He also spoke of partisan gridlock

“I came to Washington in 2003 and there were certainly partisan differences then. … That’s life in a democracy. It’s to be expected,” Bishop said. “But I think with the class that entered the Congress in 2010—the class that was heavily influenced by the tea party—I think that has changed the tenor in Washington and it’s changed the conversation in Washington, very much to the detriment, I believe, of the country. I believe that sort of ‘take no prisoners’ approach that so many of my colleagues are now taking is really creating an environment that’s quite toxic and makes it extremely difficult to find common ground.”

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