Updated: Congressman Wenstrup asks Congress: What is our legacy?

As the federal government slowdown enters its third straight day, Second District Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Cincinnati, said he believes the House majority – along with several House Democrats – will continue to pass Continuing Resolutions in order to fund essential government services.

"We want to open government, and we want to end the special status for Congress," Wenstrup said in a Thursday morning interview with The Highland County Press.

The congressman said he could not predict how long the current government slowdown would continue.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed legislation to fund government programs ranging from the National Institutes of Health to national parks.

Wenstrup voted for each government funding bill to reopen services as quickly as possible.

Those resolutions have very little chance of Senate approval.

What the House majority continues to resist is funding the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

When asked if Ohio was "ground zero" for the Obamacare debate, as some Democrats have said due to House Speaker John Boehner's stance against the ACA and Gov. John Kasich's support for the expansion of Medicaid within the legislation, Wenstrup replied: "I don't know if Ohio is ground zero. I think it's certainly a national debate."

Wenstrup also referenced this week's comments by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who, when asked why the Senate wouldn't try to help "one child who has cancer" by approving a mini-spending bill, said: "Why would we want to do that?"

"That is unbelievable," Wenstrup, who also is a doctor, said about the Senate's refusal to fund the National Institutes of Health.

Reid later suggested he was taken out of context. 

“I am working every day to pass bills that get the government open again," Wenstrup said. "As a physician, I know the important work that the National Institutes of Health do for Ohioans. As a veteran, I’m proud the House passed a bill that will allow World War II veterans to fully visit and enjoy the war memorials built in their honor."

House Republicans are investigating the decision to close off the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington after a number of veterans groups – including some from Ohio – were denied access to the open-air memorial, supposedly due to the government shutdown.

On Wednesday, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said the RNC would pay to keep five guards on duty to keep the WW II Memorial open.

Wenstrup said he hopes people in the Second District understand that the House is passing continuing resolutions to fund most of the federal government.

"We want to keep government open and end special treatment for Congress," he said. "My constituents have made this very clear: We (members of Congress) are treated equally under the law.

“There is no reason Congress should get a pass while Ohioans suffer under Obamacare, and there is no reason that businesses get a break from Obamacare mandates while individuals are forced into a system that is not ready and does not work. It’s inconceivable to imagine the Senate failing to pass a bill that keeps the government open and treats every Ohioan fairly.”

Rep. Brad Wenstrup represents Ohio’s Second Congressional District. He serves on the House Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs Committees. Before joining Congress in 2013, Wenstrup practiced as a physician for 26 years and served as a soldier in the Army Reserve for 15 years.