WASHINGTON - Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, today called for the House, Senate and the White House to come together on a compromise to end the government shutdown and send thousands of furloughed federal employees back to work.

Speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives, Brooks said disagreements over President Obama's healthcare program should not lead to a government shutdown - which went into effect Tuesday with the beginning of the 2014 fiscal year.

"The Senate, White House, and Congress agree on roughly 99 percent of the appropriations bills," Brooks said in his speech. "The solution to our impasse is simple. Congress and the White House should fully fund the 99 percent we agree on, end the government shutdown, and work out our differences on the remaining 1 percent."

Brooks also accused the Democratic-controlled Senate and Obama of using disagreements over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - aka Obamacare - to "coerce" the House into spending money Brooks said is not available.

"Instead, the Senate and White House use a federal government shutdown to coerce the House of Representatives into spending money America does not have on a socialized medicine program that does not work, and that a majority of Americans do not want," Brooks said.

The House is doing what it can to mitigate the impact of the shutdown, Brooks said, and he called on the Senate to do the same.

"Yesterday I spoke with House Leadership and I urged them to pass bills that, one at a time, fund the 99 percent of the federal government that we agree on," Brooks said. "I thank the House Leadership for doing exactly that yesterday and today. Each bill we pass exempts yet another part of the federal government from the shutdown.

"I urge my friends across the aisle to join us, to join America, to compromise, yes, to compromise, and pass as many funding bills as we can to minimize and eliminate the harmful effects of a federal government shutdown."

Watch Brooks' full speech today on the House floor.