however, as of this week, for the people who work at social security on eligibility benefits for the elderly, disability benefits for those who are unable to work, they have been furloughed over the entire united states of america, social security has furloughed 18,000 people in local communities, social security is everywhere, providing access to the american people to apply for their social security, apply for disability benefits, and also apply for their medicare. 18,000 people. now, social security is headquartered in maryland. again, this isn't because it's in maryland. i know these workers. i know how the exams that they take to qualify to work for social security, whether it's a claims -- the claims representatives or whether it's

an actuary projecting the trends, 18,000 people who were proud to work for social security, proud to do that. to make sure that one of the greatest social insurance programs ever was administered efficiently, effectively and the people who were eligible got what they had earned. did you know that the overhead for running social security is less than 2%, lower than any private insurance company in america? gosh. so they do it well, they do it smartly, they've been stretched because of sequester, but they are there. right now because of what we've been doing, we're only going to delay further these other benefits. so i want to open the doors of social security. when you apply, i want to be sure they're there, when you dial up, i want you to be there.

that is all, by the wa -- that is all, by the way, coming back to n.i.h. and what they want to send over from the house. it is in the labor-h.e.w.-h.h.s. appropriations. that is under my very able cochairman senator tom harkin. senator harkin has worked very hard on his bills to make sure they meet very compelling human need but that we do it in a way that's cost-efficient. but did you know that because of parliamentary obstructionism, senator harkin has not been able to bring his bill to the floor since 2007. 2007 scaim exclaim -- 2007 scaim exclaim year after year. when he's wanted to bring up the department of h.h.s., which these agencies are in, education, also the department of labor, which has things in it

like mining safety, he can't even bring it to the floor because they won't let him or it will be filibustered. now, while everybody over will is strutting around saying we're going to fund n.i.h. after she shamed them into it yesterday, what they don't tell you is that they can't move the labor-h.s. bill in the house. you know why? because they fund it at $122 billion. do you know what level that is, madam president? 2003. not even 2012. not even 2010. they want to fund it back to george bush and right around the funding level of 2003. they want to take us back a decade. they want to take us back to the dark ages. well, not in the senate. senator harkin's bill, when he wanted to come to the floor with funding of $164 billion, a slight increase from last year, there is a 42% difference

between the house and the senate labor-h.h.s. bill. $164 billion to $122 billion. i want senator harkin to be able to bring his bill to the floor, debate it. do you want an n.i.h.? let's fund it. do you want a center for disease control, which in the state of georgia, two excellent senators from georgia? then fund it. let's debate. let's discuss. let's amend. harkin can't even get it to the floor. and over there in the house, they can't move is eithe it eitr because the funding for health and human services, education and the department of labor is at a 2003 level. so while they want to send us an individual bill for an individual agency, h.h.s. and so on, as desirable as it is, i want to reopen government.

that's what the senate bill is. and i want to reopen negotiation. i would like to return to a regular order, where using the parliamentary tools, tactics and even tricks cannot delay bringing a bill to the floor. since 2007, senator harkin could not bring a bill to the floor for an open debate, unfettered by filibuster, to be able to discuss this. so this is what this is all about. this isn't about numbers. this isn't about wonky. this is about meeting compelling human need. in the labor-h.h.s. subcommittee, we fund n.i.h., the center for disease control, the social security administration, mining safety, department of education. this is what we should be working on. and education, the money for the

disabled, et cetera. so, mr. president, i come to the floor again as the chair of the appropriations committee. i'm proud of the work my subcommittee chairmen have done in getting bills ready to come to the floor for debate and follow regular order. i so appreciate the cooperation that we've received from the other side of the aisle in our committee. it's been a great sense of cooperation. dispute and disagreement on funding levels and even matters of policy. but i had an open amendment process. everybody had their say. everybody had their day. wwe moved the bills forward. that's called regular order. that's called democracy. everybody has their day and everybody has their say. but let's move it o. so let's reopen government. let's have a true negotiation. and i would happy to the -- out of the 5:30 meeting would come a

path forward. but we have one now. pass the senate resolution in the house, come back and let's get the work of the united states senate, the united states government really going again. mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. enzi: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. enzi: i want to thank the chairman of the appropriations committee for her comments and all of the efforts that she's had and the bipartisan cooperation that there's been to get bills to the floor. but we're in kind of a pickle right now. we're talking about a continuing resolution. a continuing resolution means we didn't get our work done. if we had the appropriation bills passed through this body, we wouldn't need a continuing

resolution. every agency would understand what it could spend for the whole next year. instead, we're quibbling over how long a continuing resolution we ought to have and what ought to be in it. um, we haven't done an appropriation, total appropriation by the october 1 deadline for i'm not even sure how many years. that would be the answer to what we're going through right now. if we got to debate each of those bills in a timely fashion with an open amendment process -- i appreciate that there's been an open amendment process in the committee. i'm always disturbed that we haven't had much of an open amendment process around here on the floor. every time that a bill comes to the floor -- almost every time that a bill comes to the floor -- there are negotiations about how many amendments each side can have. and i've seen those -- those negotiations go on for two wee weeks. you know how many amendments we could vote on in two weeks?

i think we could probably vote on 50, maybe a hundred in two weeks. instead, we don't vote on amendments. which gives everyone the impression, of course of course, that there isn't an open amendment process. and the longer that the stoppe stopper's kept in the bottle, the more anger that there is around here. and i'd say there's anger on both sides because both sides have amendments that they'd like to bring up. we've got to quit deal making and start legislating around here. that's the way this process was designed. they had legislation in the committee but we need to have the ability to legislate on the floor, not allocating something to a few people on both sides of the aisle and both ends of the building to come back with some kind a proposal by some kind of a fiscal fall-off date and that fiscal fall-off, date, of course, happens to be in statute that the year begins october 1. that was yesterday.

that's when every agency is supposed to know exactly how much they can spend. how's that been affecting us? well, there was a sequester. interesting part on a sequester is it was 2.3% of the amount of money that an agency, program, department were to get. now, what did it actually turn out to somebody it turned out to be 5.3%. why did it turn out to be 5.3%? well, we were already 8/12th of the way through the year before they found out that there was going to be a sequester, before they found out for sure that there was going to be a limitation on their spending. now, if they've already spent 1, 12th if they've spent the year before each month during that eight-month period and then find out for the whole year's of revenue they've got, 8/12th of what they've already spent, they have to take a 2.3% cut. that makes it a 5.3% cut. that makes it much more

difficult. actually, c.b.o. scored my penny plan -- that's where we'd just do a 1% reduction in every dollar that the united states government spends, with flexibility -- and if we add that to the sequester, which would bring it to 3.3%, they say that the budget would balance in two years. two years we could balance the budget. hasn't happened for over a decade. only happened four times ning th -- four timesi think in the . i'm pretty sure we could do it. but i'm pretty sure the people would say if we had our appropriations done timely so the agencies knew what we were doing on october 1, and the thed a quaestoa sequester plus 1%, ik they could live with it. and then they could make effective cuts if they wanted to. and one of the things around here is government doesn't like to make effective cuts.

government likes to make it hurt. when it hurts, people come back and are really upset at what's been taken away from them. but we have a lot of redundancy in government. we have a lot of -- of waste. we have a lot of programs that are happening in a whole bunch of different agencies, none of which are effective but we're still doing it everywhere. we could get rid of all of that duplication or at least half of it. half of it's all that could be totally effective and give them a little bit of a bonus for doing it. but we're now at a point where we're going to make it hurt. i mean, there are world war ii veterans in town yesterday. they were flown in here so she could see their memorial. their memorial to the tremendous efforts that they d. and what d. and what did they find? they found barricades. i've been there many times. there haven't been any

barricades there. i also didn't see another person there if it was late enough at night. so what was the purpose of the barricades? well, it was a national park. and the national parks got shut down. and this is the extreme it's being carried to. over in teton national park, they even have barricades at the turnouts. now, the turnouts can be used to fix a flat tire. turnouts can be used to get a rest if you're tired of driving. of course, turnouts can also be used to take pictures of gorgeous scenery, like the tetons. and that's what the turnouts are primarily designed for. but how much does it cost us if somebody pulls off and takes a picture of mountains? how much could that cost us? how much does it save it by putting us barricades so they can't pull off the road? how much did it cost us to put barricades out there so that they can't pull off the road and take pictures of the tetons? throughout government, we're trying to make it hurt.

we're trying to emphasize to people that we did so poorly that they need to suffer. and if they suffer enough, they'll get ahold of us and make us reverse what we've done. well, we should have been busy last april working on appropriations and working through that process. the president's about to leave a trip. i'm not planning on leaving until everything's been cleared up here, and i would suggest that he not do that either. i got an interesting letter from one of my constituents that sa says, "how does the private sector see the federal government? well, the private sector sees the federal government as a wagon being pulled by the private cityprivate sector. and the wagon filled with people that work for the federal government. and there aren't enough people

pulling the wagon and too many people riding in the wagon. he makes quite a point. now, he does admit that the people riding in the wagon pay taxes, too, but he also points out that those taxes came from the private city private sectore wages from which the -- from which the taxes are taken. so, yes, there are people riding in the wagon own though they're working as well -- wagon, even though they're working as well, even though the private sector has the extra load. and now they're getting even bit a bit more of a load. but he makes the point that we need more people in the private city, and said that maybe the private sector ought to shut down. what would happen if the private sector shut down? what would happen if trucks didn't haul anymore goods across this country? what happens if the filling stations don't open?

what happens with the myriad of things -- groceries, the things that we count on every day that come from the private sector? and he just wanted me to know that he's tired of pulling the wagon with so many people in the wagon. and we have a chance to reduce the load in the wagon, and we ought to take advantage of that. but we're not, and tweendz take advantage of that -- and we need to take advantage of that in a timely manner, and we need to get this wrapped up and get the government under way so that people aren't suffering in the make-it-hurt atmosphere that we've got right now. there's another way to do it. there's a better way to do it. we should have done it. i yield the floor. mrthe presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i have great affection for my friend from wyoming. he is a fine man. but i'm not tb going to nit-pick what he said.

why didn't we do our appropriations bills? mr. president, please ... i wouldn't expect that coming from him. we've tried. we were filibustered. we tried one here. remember transportation aeption pros? -- remember transportation appropriations? we got one republican vote -- susan collins. they killed that. so don't come and lecture us on why didn't we do the bills last april. mr. president, i've often said that i sympathize with john boehner -- and i do. he has a very difficult job. even when the speaker would prefer to be reasonable, when he would prefer to be the speaker of the house of representatives, the whole house -- democrats and republicans -- because that's what he is -- instead of just speaker of the house of representatives, and sometimes appearing to be the speaker for a minority within his majority,

he seems to be kowtowing to everything they ask. they push him further and further to the right and over the cliff. it would be difficult to balance the responsibilities while remaining true to the core of one's party's beliefs. i would like to give a personal example. i try not to do that often, but i'll try to give one today. the presiding officer wasn't here during the iraq war. i didn't just oppose it. i thought it was such a bad thing for our country. and one reason that -- i'll give you some reasons why i really didn't like it at all. i hated it as much as i'm sure john boehner dislikes the affordable care act. but even though i voted for the

2002 authorization to confront saddam hussein, i quickly was appalled at how this authority was used and the information that got me to vote pour it was absolutely false. therthere were no coherent objectives, not a clear strategy, not anyone in the administration knew the difference between the parties. i spent many, for lack of a better description, gut-wrenching nights -- and some days -- trying to figure out what i should do. i was disgusted and mad at president bush and republicans in congress that not one more american would be killed or maimed. i was so angry that i said

things i wish i hadn't. they're in the history books. they're there. some of my friends on the other side of the aisle, especially john mccain, as he can do, had told me how wrong i was in opposing the war. i thought i would be willing to do anything to stop that war, but i faced a choice in 2007. the commander in chief, president george w. bush, requested $93 billion in additional government funding to continue the war. without that, no more war. congress sent president bush a supplemental bill. he vetoed that bill. at that time i could have blocked funding for the federal

government in order to block funding for that war. i faced immense pressure from the left. moveon -- oh, i got thousands and thousands and thousands of e-mails and letters from that organization, from my own base to do just that. it was a very difficult choice for me. i could put my own opposition to that senseless war and my fellow democrats' opposition of the war before everything else, but as the leader of the senate, i had an obligation to ensure the smooth operation of the federal government. i couldn't do both, mr. president. i tried to figure out a way to do both. i couldn't figure a way out,

because there was no way. couldn't do both. it's a decision i took extremely seriously, as i know anyone else would. in the end i actually defied the strident voices on the left urging me to stay true to my personal belief that the war in iraq was an unjust war, and i should end that war at any cost. but, mr. president, i felt i had other responsibilities, if one was to make sure that our government was funded, that we didn't lose face in front of the international community and resort to that kind of extremist legislative tactics. so, we funded the government. we funded the war that i didn't like. my choice made a lot of democrats very unhappy.

it made people on my own staff upset with me, their boss. but looking back on that decision, i came to the right decision, in my own mind. so today, mr. president, the country finds itself perhaps in a similar situation. the republicans in congress, for reasons we've discussed here on the floork floor, are obsessed h obamacare. they don't like it. i have no reason to doubt their sin saimplet sincerity. i doubt their logic, but i don't doubt their sincerity. when they say that they believe that the affordable care act is damaging to our country. they're wrong. they're wrong now, and time will show how really wrong they are, because millions of americans right now today are already benefiting from this law, and

millions more will benefit in the years to come. so when these history books are written that people will read, obamacare will be seen as one of the greatest single steps to help america. it's in the same league as social security and medicare, and it will provide quality, affordable health care for america -- all men's. -- all americans. i understand why my republican colleagues disagree with what i just said. unfortunately, though, when speaker boehner was faced with the same choice i was faced with in 2007, he's made a very different decision. he put his own opposition to obamacare and his fellow republicans' opposition to obamacare above all else, even above ensuring the strength of our economy and the smooth operation of this government we love. history will prove that to be te shortsighted and wrong. but regardless of right or wrong, our responsibility as leaders is to find a path

forward to reopen the government and protect our economy. so earlier today, 10:45 or thereabouts -- no, it was 1 ^ ^1:45 this morning -- i offered -- it was 11:45 this morning, i offered john boehner a reasonable compromise with respect to both of our priorities. before the house is a senate-passed legislative tool to reopen government. the measure funds the government at the level chosen by not us but the house leaders, a level much lower than i would have chosen or senator murray would have chosen or the chairman our appropriations committee, senator mikulski, would have chosen. i proposed that the speaker allow this joint resolution come for a vote before the house of representatives. every democrat will vote for

that over there. and according to news reports, more than 100 house republicans are prepared to vote for it as well. so, in short, what it says is, republic threopen the governmen. then i, on behalf of the democratic caucus, commit to name confer dwrees ees to a budt conference, as the speaker has requested. this conference can engage on the important fiscal issues facinfacing our nation. the speaker has often cited these as the most important challenge to our generation. the conference will be the important place to have these discussions. in a letter that i wrote to the speaker, we didn't limit what we would talk about in the conference. in fact, i will read parts of this letter. "now we find ourselves at loggerheads," say in the letter. "there needs to be a path forward to reopen our government and protect our commitment of this is a communication to you

offering a sensible, reasonable compromise. before the house you have a senate-passed measure to reopen the government. funded at the level the house chose in its legislation. i propose that you allow this joint resolution to pass reopening government and i commit to name conferees to a budget conference as soon as the government reopens. that conference can discuss the important issues facing our nation. you and your colleagues have repeatedly cited these fiscal issues as the things on which we need to work. this conference will be an appropriate place to have these discussions where participants could raise whatever proposals -- tax reform, health care, agriculture, and certainly discretionary spending like veterans, national parks, n.i.h. -- they felt appropriate. close quote. so, mr. president, that's pretty direct and to the point. these conferees could do whatever they wanted without the

threat of a government shutdown and ensuing economic collapse hanging over their heads. "together we could end this government shutdown and work to address important issue issues g our nation. together we can work to put our nation on a strong fiscal footing by engag. this morning i warned of the effects of a republican shutdown. my colleagues have done this all day. what has this done to federal employees generally? what has it done to n.i.h.? what has it done to transportation? what has it done to the centers for disease control? and on and on with all these programs that are now stunningly stopped. there are many unintended consequences of this irresponsible and shortsighted shutdown. it's reckless and irresponsible. speaker boehner can end this

republican government shutdown today. we've given him what he wants. they sent over from the house, gleets tlet's go to conference. we're saying, we'll go to conference on anything you want to go to conference on. defy the strident voices on the right urging you to put your personal beliefs and the beliefs of your caucus before the strength of our economy and the needs of our country. i ask that the letter to which i referred be made part of record. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: mr. president, democrats and republicans have some serious differences when it comes to our policies and our values and our priorities. but one thing that we should be able to agree on -- the bare minimum expected of us here in congress -- is that we shouldn't actively allow our constituents to be hurt. that is why senate democrats will be here today with a clear message to the republicans: open the government up an, end e

shutdown. allow the government to open and make sure our families and communities we represent don't are to pay the price for the disagreements that we have. and then come back to the table and work with us on a long-term budget deal to avoid these constant crises. majority leader reid has made it very clear to speaker bain theirs willing to sit down and talk and i truly hope that house republicans take him up on that. mr. president, as the government was shutting down, speaker boehner and house republicans lurched even deeper into the theater of the absurd. i was shocked. i couldn't believe my ears when i heard with minutes to go before the shutdown began, speaker boehner was asking us for a conference on the spending bill. i thought is he serious? is this some kind of joke? even by the standards of a party

that shut down the government to sto*pl -- stop health care reform law that was going to come online yesterday, no matter what they did, that was bizarre. but, mr. president, i say to speaker boehner today, yes, let's start a budget conference. it's a bit late. i've been fighting to start one for six months. but better late than never. let's sit down. let's negotiate. and let's work toward the balanced and bipartisan long term negotiation deal our constituents are expecting. a real conference, not like the photo o*p we saw in the yesterday. a budget conference where the two sides can sit at the table, offer compromises and work towards a bipartisan, long-term budget deal the american people expect. but there's one condition, and it is a reasonable one. and it couldn't be more important. speaker boehner and the house republicans should stop allowing

our families and our communities to be hurt while we negotiate. they should pass our short-term bill, reopen the government and then join us at the table for a budget conference where we can work together towards a common long-term deal. this is really common sense. it is the responsible thing to do. there is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't let the government open back up right now while all of us get in a room and work on a deal. mr. president, given that republicans spent the day yesterday talking about their newfound interest in a conference, i think it could be helpful to go back just a bit to remind people who are following us here today how we got to this point. for years republicans in the senate and in the house have said twab critical -- have said it was critical that the senate pass a budget. they came here to the floor. they blasted out press releases.

they made it part of every one of their campaigns across the country. at the beginning of this year it seemed democrats and republican agreed on at least one thing. the budget debate should proceed through regular order. the house was going to pass their budget. the senate was going to pass ours. and then we were going to get together in a conference room and work out our differences. senator mcconnell said back then that once the senate and house passed budgets -- quote -- "the work of conferencing must begin. republicans said a conference was the -- quote -- "best vehicle for the budget debate" because we're doing it in plain sight. well, mr. president, i absolutely agree. the senate budget committee wrote our strong progrowth, pro-middle class long-term budget. now, mr. president.

i'm sure that the hours that we spent debating this budget are not forgotten by anybody on this floor. we spent a week here in an open process, debating and voting on amendment after amendment until the very wee hours of the morning. and on march 23 the senate passed our budget. we all remember that. and the house, by the way, passed theirs earlier that day. now, i thought the next step would be we'd go to a conference as quickly as possible. i went to the house budget committee chairman, chairman ryan, and i told him the american people were expecting all of us to get in a room and work it out. i thought it was a no-brainer. we had significant differences between our two budgets, but i was ready to go and work with my colleagues and make compromises and get to work. and with six months to go before the end of the fiscal year, we had plenty of time. but, mr. president, i was absolutely floored when i heard

the house republicans had changed their mind. they no longer wanted to go to conference. they no longer wanted to follow regular order. now, mr. president, i'm sure the idea of debating their budget and having it compared in an open and public forum was pretty unpleasant to them. they know how unpopular their plans were to end medicare as we know it and to cut taxes for the rich. but they put it in their budget, and now it was their job to negotiate with us. so, mr. president, i came here to the senate floor, and i asked for consent to go to a budget conference. i was joined by senator reid and many others. we asked to begin bipartisan negotiations but senate republicans said no. we tried again and again and again. on april 23, we were blocked. april 23, blocked by senator toomey. on may 6, senator cruz stood up and objected. on may 7, may 8, may 9, may 14,

and may 15, senator mcconnell said no. on may 16, senator lee said no. may 21 senator paul blocked negotiations. may 27 it was senator rubio. senator 23, senator lee. june 4, senator rubio. june 12, senator lee. june 19, senator toomey. june 26, senator cruz. july 11, senator rubio. july 17, senator lee. and on august 1, senator rubio blocked us from starting a conference right before the august recess. mr. president, we've come here 18 times, and every single time we tried to get in that room, every time we tried to start a conference and negotiate, republicans stood up and they blocked us. and, by the way, it wasn't just democrats either. quite a few of our senate republicans joined us in pushing

for a conference. my colleague, senator mccain, joined democrats on the floor and said blocking a conference was -- quote -- "incomprehensible" and -- quote -- "insane." senator corker said that -- quote -- "to keep from appointing conferees is not consistent." senator flake said -- quote -- "he'd like to see a conference." mr. president, republicans offered one excuse after another. and, by the way, none of them added up. fixer they said they wanted a preconference framework even though that is exactly what a budget is and exactly what we were negotiating over. then they said they wouldn't allow us to go to conference unless we guaranteed, guaranteed in our budget that the wealthiest americans and biggest corporations would be protected from paying a penny more in taxes. then they said they didn't want a bipartisan conference to take away the leverage they would have during a debt ceiling

debate. then they called for a do-over of the budget debate including another 50 hours of debate here on the floor and a whole new round of unlimited amendments, even after -- mr. president, i will remind all of us, many of them praised the opening floor debate we had during the senate budget debate. so, mr. president, their story about objecting kept changing. senator mccain said republican preconditions and excuses were absolutely out of line and unprecedented. senator collins said that even though there's a lot we don't see eye to eye on, we should at least go to conference and make our best effort to get a deal. the stalling from some republicans was, to quote senator mccain and collins, "a little bizarre and ironic, to say the least." republicans kept making excuses for stalling, but the bottom line was that after spending

years saying the most important thing was for the senate to pass a budget, once we did, they ran away as quick as they could. mr. president, i told republicans again and again right here on the senate floor and when i talked to them in private, if you don't join us in a conference and give us the time we need to work out a deal, you're going to be pushing us into a completely avoidable crisis. they didn't listen. they didn't want a conference. they didn't want to negotiate. they thought they'd have more leverage in a crisis. and they were doing everything they could to push us to this one. well, they were right, they pushed us to this crisis. and now families across our country are paying the price. so, mr. president, if speaker boehner truly wants to negotiate and end this lurching from crisis to crisis, he would let the house vote to keep the government open. it would pass, by the way, with

a strong bipartisan vote. and then he would join us at the table in conference that i've been trying to start for months. so, mr. president, i'm going to request consent for the 19th time to start a budget conference, and to be very clear, this is not a replacement for an immediate end to this shutdown. it would build on a short-term bill to end this crisis. it's not to negotiate a short-term deal while our families and our communities are being hurt by a shutdown. it is just to make clear the door is open for long-term negotiations that can start as soon as the threat of the shutdown is taken off the table. mr. president, i am really hopeful that our republican colleagues on the other side of this aisle who have watched with us, our constituents look in amazement at the united states senate and congress as if we

were unable to do the job that we have been asked to do, which is to govern this country in a responsible way. i would hope that they would take a moment to pause and to say it's time to stand up. it's time to be leaders. it's time to stop holding our country and our communities hostage. it's time to stop putting fear into the lives of so many people. it's time to say, yes, we're going to open the government. we're not going to hold this country hostage. we're going to do our job. mr. president, that is simply what we are asking to do today. allow the senate bill to come up for a vote in the house. it will pass. we know we have the votes. republicans and democrats together who want to stop this crisis. and then we will sit down and do what we have been asked to do by the republicans since -- for a number of years now. to write a budget, to have the house write a budget and to sit

down and work out our differences. i see senator durbin here on the floor. senator durbin worked on the simpson-bowles commission many years ago to try to resolve our differences. i think he would agree with me, it's time to get this done. i see senator warner on the floor right now, who has spent a great deal of time working to get us to a point where we can solve this crisis and have a way to move forward on a path that our country can rely on. i think, mr. president, that many of our colleagues are ready to get past this crisis, are ready to open the government and begin the responsible thing of working the way we're supposed to. so i hope that they listen to senator reid and what he offered them today. i hope they consider it. i hope they do the right things so families across our country don't have to continue bearing the burden of the republican party's dysfunction and division. with that, mr. president, i ask

unanimous consent that when the senate receives a message from the house that they have passed h.j. res. 59 as amended by the senate, the senate then proceed to the consideration of calendar number 33, h. con. res. 25, that the amendment at the desk which is the text of s. con res. 8, the budget resolution passed by the senate, be inserted in lieu thereof, that h. con. res. 25 be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, that the senate proceed to a vote on a motion to insist on its amendment, request a conference with the house on the disagreeing votes of the two houses, and authorize the chair to appoint conferees on part of the senate with all the above occurring with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. reid: i'm going in a second suggest the absence of a quorum. i want to make sure that there's adequate time to give this due consideration. i don't want -- we've tried not to rush into this. i don't want to rush out of t. we're going to go into a quorum

call, giving the republicans an opportunity to look and study this consent agreement. we've done what we thought the speaker would want, what the republican leader would want. we've said we'll discuss whatever you want to talk about in this conference. and i hope this is something they will accept. but i note the absence of a quorum. mrs. murray: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. is there objection to the senator from washington's request? is there objection to the senator from washington's request? a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania. mr. toomey: reserving the right to object, mr. president, i would point out a couple of things that i didn't hear in the discussion from the senator from washington. one is the fact that the house has passed three different measures to fund the government. that's already happened. it's been sent over here and each one was rejected by the senate democrats, one after another, so that we're now in a government shutdown. i'd also point out that after

the senate democrats rejected every measure that the republicans have sent over to fund the government, the republican house sent over a measure to go to conference, to go to conference so that we could resolve this problem. so i find it a little bit ironic, to say the least, that we have our democratic colleagues are saying we need to go to conference on the budget resolution -- now, i know the terminology here can get confusing for people, but that is a vehicle that has nothing to do with the immediate problem that we have right now, which is the funding of the government because we don't have a continuing resolution to actually fund the discretionary spending of the government, and that having expired, and our democratic friends having voted down every attempt by the republicans to fund the government, we are in this -- we're in this bind. so now we have a unanimous consent request, if i have got this right, that says if the republicans agree to every

demand the democrats have made beforehand, initially, then and only then our democratic friends would like to have a conference on the budget. that's -- that's what i'm hearing. so what i would -- what i would ask is whether the senator from washington would consider a modification to the unanimous consent request, and that would be two things -- one would be that we -- they also would agree to go to conference on the c.r. so that we could work out the problem that is preventing us from reopening the government. that would be number one. and the other would be that when we go to conference -- mr. schumer: will the senator yield for a question, just a clarification? mr. toomey: sure. mr. schumer: your request would be we go to conference while the government is shut down? it doesn't matter in your request whether the government is shut down or not, is that correct?

mr. toomey: my request is that we find a resolution to the shutdown. go to conference. mr. schumer: while the government is shut down. mr. toomey: let's go to conference right now while the government is shut down so we can work out an agreement rather than this -- this impasse. let's try to break the impasse by going to conference. so that would be one condition. and then i would go back to what our concern has been about the budget conference all along. i have asked unanimous consent to go to conference on the budget. i'm a member of the budget committee. i would like us to do that. what i object to and many of us have objected to is that we use it as an opportunity to be -- to break the senate rules and drop in a debt ceiling increase without the opportunity to have the 60-vote threshold we ought to have in the senate if we're going to consider increasing the debt burden on the american people. so if the senator from washington -- i guess i would ask unanimous consent that the senator from washington would agree to those two

modifications. the presiding officer: does the senator so modify her request? mrs. murray: mr. president, reserving the right to object, let me make it very clear, what the senator from pennsylvania is asking is that we continue to hold the country and our communities and our families hostage while they try to get something out of a conference, and mainly he's talking about saying that obamacare will be repealed unless we pass a very short-term, few-week continuing resolution, which is completely unacceptable, not only to this senator but to the vast majority of americans. mr. president, and essaying that we can talk while everyone is not at work, while the government is shut down. well, you know, we have been asking to talk for a long time, but the american people deserve to be able to go to work, to get their paychecks, to have our communities and our country running without the threat of this over their head.

so i object to the senator's request, and i repeat my request, that we allow the house to vote on the bill that was sent over to them, that they have the votes on, open up the government and then do as we have asked now 19 times to do what the american people expect us to do, which is to go to conference and work out our disagreements, and i renew my original request. the presiding officer: is there objection to the request from the senator from washington? mr. toomey: so, mr. president, the senator from washington objects to my request that we go to conference so that we can resolve the impasse of the shut down government and instead wishes to go to conference on something else, which is the budget resolution, that does not reopen the government, and so i object. mrs. murray: mr. president, let me make it clear, the senator from washington does not believe that we should be negotiating in the dark of night. the government should be open and public and people should be able to see what we're doing,

and that is why our unanimous consent was so important, and i am so disappointed that the republicans are saying hold the country hostage and that is the place we're left in. mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. and let me just say this. i know my colleague from pennsylvania has gone. let's clarify a few things because obfuscation is the rule of the day when you're not holding many cards. first, the senator from pennsylvania said they have asked to open up the government -- they have asked, rather, to go to conference three times and open up the government. yeah, they have, if obamacare is repealed, if obamacare is delayed and if -- delayed for a year, and if the individual mandate is delayed for a year. that is not a request to go to conference. that is saying unless i get my way on obamacare, which has been voted on by these chambers, which has been litigated in the

election, i'm going to shut the government down, so their position hasn't changed. and the bottom line is very simple. the bottom line now is oh, let's go to conference all of a sudden. sure. let's go to conference while cancer treatments are being refused, and the more we delay, the worse that is. let's go to conference while veterans' benefits can't be processed, and the more we delay, the more veterans are hurt. let's go to conference before 800,000 people get their paychecks which they need to feed their families. let's go to conference while the statue of liberty is closed and my little sandwich shock nearby is not making any revenue. please, please, i say to my colleague, what you want to do is use a bludgeon. since a small group of tea party fanatics, as they are called, has speaker boehner in the palm

of their hand and they have the power not to fund the government, they say until you fund the government, until you do what we want, we won't fund the government. so nothing has changed. and there is no concession or willingness to negotiate on a fair basis by the other side. no. let me repeat to my colleague from pennsylvania. you have it backwards. you are saying let's negotiate and then we might open up the government. the right way to do it is by the resolution offered by the chairwoman of the budget committee. let's open up the government and then we'll be happy to sit down and negotiate. that's the fundamental difference here. whose side is the american people on? ours. 70-22. whose side is -- just every democrat at each end of pennsylvania avenue on? ours, of course. and if you look at the quotations in the house and

senate, a large number of those from the other side of the aisle are on our side, too. but because a small number of irresponsible members of the tea party have speaker boehner in their control right now, we can't succeed. so the tea party shutdown, the shutdown engineered -- or the tea party-originated, engineered and put into place by the tea party with senator boehner -- speaker boehner's fearful acquiescence is still the law of the day. it will not be for much longer. the pressure from the public on the economy and the pressure, actually, from members on the other side of the aisle will increase, and i believe in a short while, in a short while

the other side will have to say okay, we'll fund the government, let's sit down and talk which is what leader reid and chairwoman murray have simply asked for today. it will just take a few days more, but it will happen. i wish that the other side had acquiesced now because so many midnight millions are being held hostage and being hurt. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the assistant majority leader. mr. durbin: mr. president, the i ask unanimous consent request made by the senator from the state of washington is emmentally sensible. it says why hold 800,000 federal employees hostage while we go about the negotiation of our future budget. the majority leader has made this offer. he has said that we are going to go forward, offered to speaker boehner the opportunity, the opportunity for us to open the government and then get into meaningful negotiations on all of the major issues. so what did we hear from tofl

pennsylvania, senator toomey? his objection. he wants to continue to keep the government shut down while we are supposed to initiate negotiations. who pays the price for that? well, it wouldn't be any senator. the people who pay a price for it are those 800,000 furloughed employees and all of the people in america who count on their services every single day. i've said it before, it bears repeating. 200 people were turned away from the national institutes of health this week who wanted to enter clinical trials because of a serious life-threatening illness including 30 children, cancer patients coming to the n.i.h. with their parents for one last hopeful move to save their lives. so the senator from pennsylvania says sorry, we can't take care of those children, we can't take care of those seriously ill americans, we've got to sit down and negotiate. it's easy for him and perhaps easy for others to say it's all

about us, but it isn't. it's all about america. it's all about the people we were sent here to represent. it's all about the reputation of this nation. what it will take to get beyond this current crisis is very obvious. we have unity on the democratic side to open the government. we've sent a continuing resolution to the house to do the same. what has to happen now, moderate republicans have got to step forward. it is interesting to me in the last 48 hours how few have come to the floor, how few have come to the senate floor to talk about this issue. privately they tell me that they're torn and worried over what this is doing to our country and what it's doing to their party. but some moderate republicans in the house of representatives have spoken out. i'd like to, if i can at this point recount those who have spoken out. representative pat meehan,

republican of pennsylvania. said quote -- "at this point i believe it's time for the house to vote for a clean short-term funding bill toably bring the senate to the table and negotiate a responsible compromise" -- end of quote. a clean short-term funding bill? that's already passed the senate. it's sitting in the house waiting for the speaker to call it. representative mike fitzpatrick, another republican from pennsylvania, a fitzpatrick aide tells the philadelphia inquirer the congressman would support a clean funding bill. lou barletta of pennsylvania, he said he would absolutely vote for a clean bill in order to avert a shutdown of the government. charlie dent, republican of pennsylvania, i'm prepared to vote for a clean continuing resolution, he told "the huffington post." in dngs to -- adish to that, jim ger lack from pennsylvania, the congressman issued a

statement saying we vote for a clean budget bill. the list goes on. the list includes those names that i've mentioned, representative pat meehan, scott regale, republican of virginia, representative jon runyan of new jersey, mike fitzpatrick of pennsylvania, lou barletta, republican of pennsylvania, representative peter king, republican of new york, representative deafen nunez, republican of california, charlie dent, republican of pennsylvania, representative frank wolf, republican of virginia, representative michael grimm, republican of new york, representative aircraft paulson, republican of minnesota, rob whitman, republican of virginia, frank lobiondo, republican of new jersey, randy forbes, republican of virginia, representative jim ger lock,

and representative mike simpson, republican of idaho. 17. why is that significant? it takes only two or three more republican congressmen, republican congressmen to step up and say they will vote for the c.r. that we sent over from the senate to reopen the government of the united states of america. there are six republican congressmen in my state of illinois. i challenge all of them, join this group of your fellow colleagues and the democrats in the house who don't want to punish america and 800,000 federal workers. what's at stake here? it isn't just bragging rights about how this crisis ends. what's at stake is much more. it even goes beyond the life and death situation faced by hundreds at the national institutes of health. i'm still stunned by what i was told yesterday by senator feinstein. it's public knowledge, she announced it on the floor.

72%, 72% of the civilian work force in america's intelligence agencies have been furloughed. what do they do? well, i'll tell you what they do. they listen closely to places and people all around the world to try to see a threat coming against the united states. they are sent to work each day with the most serious mission of almost anyone working for our government. they're sent with a mission to avoid the next 9/11, to spare innocent people across america the possibility of a terrorist attack. i'm not overdramatizing it. that's what the intelligence agencies are all about every day. today almost three out of four of the professional men and women in the civilian side of intelligence are home. they're not listening. they're not watching. they've been sent home by this tea party republican shutdown. it will only take about three more republican congressmen to

step forward and say this has to come to an end for the good of our nation, for the safety of our nation, and for the future of our economy. that's what we're up against. what we're trying to do is to get the conversation underway to resolve some major issues. i hope we're successful. but in the meantime, let's protect america, let's serve the people that sent us here, let's reopen this government as quickly as possible. it's gone on now for a day and a half. it should end this afternoon. speaker john boehner has it within his power to end this government shutdown in a matter of minutes, minutes. and then we can start the conversation about the important issues facing us. i think the president's right. we have got to do this in a responsible manner to say once and for all we're not going to hold the american people, the american taxpayers or national security hostage to a political temper tantrum. we have to face our political

responsibility honestly and directly. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. warner: i want to thank my colleague, the senator from illinois for those comments. i wanted to make those as well anding also thank the chair of the budget committee for making one more ask to say let's negotiate this. i think it's important to note as the senator from illinois went through some of the folks who say this is not just about the 800,000 federal workers who are going without pay, it's about our national security. 72% of the folks who work in the intelligence community who are civilians are furloughed today. means our troops in harm's way are in greater danger, our ambassadors are in more -- earns are in more danger. i've heard some remarkable comments from the other side about the free enterprise

system. i've spent longer in the free enterprise system than i have in elective office. i could not imagine two businesses that were negotiating saying we're going to shut down our business rather than negotiate. i mean this really has entered into a new realm of the theater of the absurd. we think about why so many of those congressmen from virginia have stepped up. because this is not just about the federal work force, i'd point out today at nasa langley, one of our premier research institutions in america, 3,500 employees regularly, there are six working today. that doesn't just affect nasa langley. it affects the gas station, the folks buy gas to go to work at nasa langley, the shops, the restaurants where people go to eat. i'd like to hear some folks who talk about free enterprise what

are they going to say to that motel owner along the skyline drive in virginia or outside yosemite who has a cancellation this weekend. that's not a government worker. that's part of the free enterprise system. no business leader in america regardless of political stripe thinks shutting down the federal government makes good business sense. earlier today along with my colleagues from maryland, senator kaine couldn't be there but he was very supportive, we brought in some not faceless budgets but names and folks who were directly affected by this shutdown. we had a woman who worked at the national science foundation for close to 40 years saying she had gone through about $2,500 hit from the furloughs already, was unsure, hadn't bought a car last week because this was

hanging over her head. she felt she was going to be fine in some way but said what young scientist would come work in public service today? and, again, on a free enterprise system this is a competitive world. the rest of the world is not going to stop their science, their innovation, their creativity because america can't get its act together and keep its government operated. so i've been occasionally called by some of my colleagues on this side of the aisle too reflexively bipartisan and there's always both sides of an argument but on this argument, on this fact there is no lack of clarity in my mind that holding not just our federal work force but the economy of america hostage, to say until we get our way we're not going to reopen the largest enterprise in the world, the federal

government of the united states is more irresponsible than anything i've seen not only in my political life, my business life. so again, i've had some of the same conversations my colleagues have had, i know there's a great deal of uneasiness on the other side. i actually don't believe this is democrats versus republicans. i believe we got our bill over on the house side, i think candidly the majority of the house republicans would join in reopen the government and then let's have that kind of very real debate about health care, about tax reform, about getting our country's balance sheet right. but the notion that we are going to basically try to not only affect the lives of the 800,000 folks who are furloughed but countless of millions of others who depend upon those services or countless millions of others in the free enterprise system who depend upon our work force who are their customers is

stunningly irresponsible. all of us here say we want our economy to recover. let's get our balance sheet right. but in the meantime let's open the government, let these folks get back to what their job is, and let's have this conference that has been called for now 18 different times. i'll close with this and i know other folks have mentioned this. no matter what happens going forward, we're going to ask our federal work force to do more with less resources. again, i've spent more time in the private sector than i have in the public sector. i've built companies. the last thing you do to your work force when you ask them to do more with less is disrespect them continuously the way we have the federal work force over the last three years. three years without pay, furloughs, being called somehow

that you're riding in the wagon, not driving the wagon. i've got to tell you, as somebody who got here because there were good public schools, good student loan program, but because there was a free enterprise system and support systems, put forward by a federal government, i don't think those folks -- i think they're pulling that wagon every bit as much as any other american. so i hope we will be able to get not only those folks on the house but others to be willing to say, it's time to get this government reopened, it's time to have the long overdue conversation about our balance sheet. i appeal to all of my colleagues to, let's get this behind us. but, please, don't bring somebody down here and say on the free enterprise system that somehow it is rational or logical or makes good business sense to keep this government shuttered. mr. president, i yield the floor.

mr. harkin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: mr. president, first of all, in all this mess, there's some really good news -- the affordable care act is up and running and the people of america are responding in record numbers. oh, remember how the republicans said, oh, this is bad, it's a failure. well, they kept saying it was a failure even though it never started. in the first 24 hours of the -- of healthcare.gov being up -- that is the national marketplace, the federal one -- 4.7 million people visited. in california, which has its own state-run marketplace, 5 million people came on that site yesterday. i just noted, i heard the republican leader out here

earlier today. i just wanted to point out that in kentucky, 78,000 visitors, they started nearly 4,700 applications and pleated more than 2,9 -- and completed more than 2,900 yesterday, the first day. i think what this all indicates is that the american people are hungry, are hungry to get covered with health insurance. 30 million people out there without health insurance with a preexisting condition or maybe they have -- they are ill right now, maybe they've had other things happen, maybe they're out of work, a variety of different reasons. now they can go on the marketplace and get health insurance coverage. and they're flocking to it because it has been sorely needed for decade.

decades. and now the republicans still want to hold the government hostage and defund the affordable care act. well, i'd like to know what the republican leader might say to those 4,700 people who applied in kentucky just yesterday. and we know that it's going to get more as the weeks and months go by. we've got six months to sign up. but think about those figures just in the first day. 55,000 people went to colorado's exchange. 1,450 created accounts to allow them to start shopping. i mentioned new york. 10 million attempts to reach their web site. and we had some glitches. yes, some web sites froze up because they didn't expect that many people to come on the first day.

andrew striker -- stryker -- was among the first people to purchase health coverage through the marketplace. mr. stryker is 34 years old, lives in los angeles where he is a free answe freelancer. he has a preexisting condition, high blood pressure, and said health insurance companies had denied him coverage on the individual market. he said that signing up through thforcoverage through the markee will save him over $6,000 per year when compared with his monthly premium for his cobra plan. for that, he said, "i would have waited all day." so it i the affordable care actp and running and people all over this country are flocking to it to get the good news -- that they can get affordable coverage for themselves and their family. and the same is happening in my own state of iowa. where the plans have come in as some of the low nest thest in te

country. some of the lowest. and that's the good news. and the bad news is republicans here are still trying to stop it, stop it before it -- before, you know, too many people get health insurance and then they know they won't be able to turn it back. well, the people of america have waited too long to have health insurance coverage for themselves and their families, for everyone to have it. now everyone can get health insurance at a price they can afford. so we're going to have health coverage not just for the healthy and the wealthy but for everyone in this country, and that is the good news. but, mr. president, we're now in day two of the federal shutdown. if you listen to some members across the aisle and in the other body, you might get the sense that it's no big deal. a congressman from my own state said, oh, the sky hasn't fallen. we've had the government shut down, the sky hasn't fallen, the roof hasn't caved in; no big

deal. well, i may have paraphrased a little bit on that but that's basically what he said. they seem to think that you can just simply turn off the federal government for a few days, a few weeks, a month or two, and it just won't matter. well, i don't understand this attitude but it's what you hear from members of the other party. let me try to explain what a government shutdown means in the areas i'm most familiar with as the chair of the labor, health, pensions, education -- health, education, labor and pensions committee and as chair of the appropriations committee that funds those programs. as of yesterday, the national institutes of health stopped enrolling new patients in 497 ongoing clinical research trials. stopped. of those trials, 255 are studying treatments for cancer and 50 involve children with cancer. mr. president, these are ongoing clinical trials right now.

clinical research trials. stopped. stopped. 50 of them involving children with cancer. what do you say to those kids? what do you say to those families? you know, clinical trials can't be completed if they don't have enough patients. but as long as there's a shutdown, the process stops. and i want to remind everyone that when we -- when i'm talking about n.i.h., i'm not just talking about bethesda, maryland. i'm talking about all over this country. n.i.h. funds research, clinical trials in every state in this country. as of yesterday, the n.i.h. began turning away people from its clinical research center. each week of a shutdown, n.i.h. estimates it will close its doors to 200 new patients who need help. also yesterday, the n.i.h. stopped processing applications for new research grants. again, mr. president, these

applications are submitted by scientists all over the country, from universities and other places in our states, not just from bethesda, not just from washington, d.c. now, you might say, well, okay, so they've stopped processing new research grants. so what? the sky hasn't fallen. the roof hasn't caved in, according to congressman from iowa. you know, we have no idea which of those grant applications might lead to the next cure for cancer or alzheimer's or diabetes. or it might be that one bit of research that fits into that slot where other people can build on it to find cures. but as long as there's a shutdown, none of them will be considered. but that's n.i.h. now, i understand the house is proceeding in some kind of a measure to pass a -- an

appropriations measure just for n.i.h. and maybe a couple of other things. and they're going to send it over here. you know what they're missing? if they want to talk about health? they're talk -- they're missing the center for disease control and prevention. the c.d.c. is the premier public health agency not just in america but in the world. the people who work there protect america from threats to our health and safety like infectious diseases, chronic diseases, outbreaks of foodborne disease. as of yesterday, the c.d.c., the premier public health agency in the world, is shut down. all of their labs are closed. the scientists are furloughed. the expert hot-lines that physicians and the public call for information are turned off. are turned off. the emergency operations center is on a skeleton crew for

emergency response. maybe that should give us some comfort. but the c.d.c. is not doing any disease monitoring. so who's going to so unthe alert if they're not -- who's going to sound the alert if they're not doing the monitoring? and, you know, i have to add, you know, viruses don't just break out when the government is open. i'll never forget what our former chairman of the appropriations committee, under whom i served some years ago, mark hatfield, great senator from oregon, when he gave his final speech on the senate floor, i remembe -- i remember i remember him saying, the rush -- it's not the russians are come, the russians are coming, it's the viruses are coming, the viruses are coming. senator hatfield was -- was looking ahead. he knew what was happening. we know for a fact that the viruses are coming is because october is the beginning of the flu season. and yet because the government

is shut down, there is no one at the c.d.c. monitoring influenza. now, why is that important? for most of us, i suppose, flu is an inconvenience. for most of us, we can go down here to the doctor's office and get our flu shot. but for many people, flu can be a matter of life and death. more than 200,000 americans are hospitalized from flu every year. in a mild year, 3,000 americans who get the flu die -- flu will die, and in a severe year, that toll can rise to almost 50,000. so this right now is precisely when the center for disease control should begin monitoring which strains are circulating cross the country, which communities are being hit hardest so they can isolate it, find out what's happening, keep it from spreading. but, mr. president, as long as there's a shutdown, c.d.c. is not doing this.

this past april, a new strain of flu, h7n9 appeared in china during their flu season. it's very deadly. 20% of the people who got it died. now, thank goodness we haven't had that outbreak in america. but as long as the c.d.c. is shut down, no one is watching for it. no one is out there monitoring. to see if that strain of flu might -- might get an outbreak someplace in this country. so i -- i say that to tell people, you may think everything's just fine and dandy -- my fellow congressman from iowa might say, "well, the sky hasn't fallen; the roof hasn't caved in." and i hope and pray that we don't have an influenza outbreak, i hope and pray that we don't have any serious viruses that outbreak in the next few days. as i said, viruses don't wait around for the government to be open.

i'd like to turn now, mr. president, spend a moment on another way the c.d.c. keeps america safe and that's food safety. mr. president, under what order are we -- the presiding officer: we have a unanimous consent agreement that senators will speak for 10 minutes. mr. harkin: well, i have more to say about the centers for disease control but i guess i will have to seek my 10 minutes later on in the day. i thank the chair. a senator: may i say, mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. a senator: if the senator from iowa needs a couple of minutes to wrap up, i don't think i will take my full ten minutes so i would be happy to cede to you a couple of minutes if you'd like to use those. mr. harkin: i thank the senator. she's very kind. i have -- i have at least another five to seven minutes to go. i have some data from c.d.c.

that i wanted to do. so i thank you very much. that's very generous of you, but i'll just pick it up later, i guess. thank you. ms. ayotte: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator prosecute new hampshire. ms. ayotte: thank you, mr. president. as i've said before and i said certainly as i came to this floor last week, governing by crisis is no way to run a government. we simply have to get our act together and work together to get the government funded again, to not lose the fofts fo foreste trees in terms of the fiscal challenges that our country faces, to come up with a fiscally responsible plan that puts our nation first and puts us on a path to economic security, and, frankly, we've wasted too much time and energy on political brinksmanship and

self-inflicted fiscal crises that also keep us from focusing on the real challenges we face, including our $17 trillion in debt and an economy that could be much stronger than it is right now to create the best climate for jobs in this count country. and, as i came to this floor last week, i reiterated my strongly held opposition to obamacare, because i've seen the impact hearing from businesses and individuals in new hampshire concerned about rising health care costs. and in new hampshire, we only have one insurer that will be on the exchange and ten of our 26 hospitals will be excluded from the exchange. but i also said last week that

shutting down the government in an attempt to defund obamacare was not a winning strategy for success. why? well, we've already seen exhibit "a" why it wasn't a winning strategy for success -- because the government shutdown yesterday and the obamacare exchanges opened and continued anyway. why is that? because we knew in advance that the congressional research service had told us that the mandatory funding piece that was put in obamacare would continue even if the government was shut down, and we have seen that happen. and so while i continue to believe that this law is wrong for america because it's causing rising health care costs, because the notion -- in fact, i think it was well said recently

about the chairman of the board of trustees at one of our hospitals, the frisbee memorial hospital, who originally supported the affordable care act but recently came to say, i supported it because we were told we could keep our doctor, and that has turned out to be a lie. so i certainly want to work with my colleagues to do whatever i can to come up with ways that we can repeal obamacare, replace it with reforms that are actually going to drive down health care costs, allow people to keep their physicians, foster more competition in the insurance sector, to give people more choice. but we need to end where we are right now. we need to come to a resolution to keep this government funded in a fiscally responsible way,

and i am glad that congressional leaders are going to speak to the president tonight. but we do not need another photo op. what we need is results. we need both sides of the aisle working together to negotiate, to come up with a plan to fund the government, to move forward, to find common ground. the and i know there is some -- and i know there is some common ground in areas of obamacare that both sides of the aisle are concerned about. for example, the medical device tax. when we had the budget votes earlier this year, the vote was 79-20 to repeal the medical device tax. members of both sides of the aisle decided that that tax was not good for innovation, for jobs, it drives up health care costs. so that's an area where we have had some common ground and how

we can affect this health care law, a health care law that i still deeply oppose. but it is time for us to make sure that we can get the government funded again. why? in nigh home stat my home statew hampshire, at one of our nation's public shipyards, skilled workers there are being put in jeopardy. they have a very important function -- to maintain our virginia class and los angeles submarines. yet due to the government shutdown, more than 1,700 workers are being furloughed. and instead of focusing on mountaimoinmaintaining our subm, they're worried about their paychecks, and it's wrong. our national guard, more than 3306 our new hampshire national guard military technicians are being furloughed. these individuals lost 25% 230% of their pay this summer when they were furloughed because of

sequestration. this is no way to treat americans who are helping to defend our country. they play a critical role in the operations of our guard and yet we also are being told that the new hampshire air national guard that if they do not receive more furlough exceptions, they may have to shut down their air-refueling air bridge of operations to europe and the middle east. this is about the defense of our nation. many of them have canceled their civilian jobs days at work to come to their drill weekend this weekend that has now been canceled. so they're losing those days of pay as well. yesterday i was answering my phones. aii had a constituent call sayig that his family had saved for years for a vacation. that it's going to cost them $25,000 to $30,000. they were at the grand canyon. they said, senator ayotte, what is going on? we took our kids our of school for two weeks. we saved for years to this vacation and we can't go down

into the canyon. we must get this resolved. and we must look for common ground on both sides of the aisle to negotiate this, to get a responsible fiscal plan for the nation. and, by the way, we're fighting about six weeks of a continuing resolution right now. give me a break! we should be looking at long-term funding for this nation, not six weeks to have this kind of impasse over six weeks. i can understand why the american people are frustrated and angry. so all i can say is, tonight, as congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle meet with the president of the united states, we don't need anymore posturing. let's gift up th give up the bln both sides. no more photo ops. we've all seen enough photo ops at this point. come out of that meeting with results. and, yes, results mean that both sides are going to have to

negotiate, and both sides aren't going to get everything they want. but that's what people do in their daily lives. that's what i know people in new hampshire do to resolve their differences. and that's what the american people expect of us, and i hope that this ends soon so that we can move forward on behalf of this great nation. thank you, mr. president. mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, you know vermonters are frustrated. they're angry. they've seen the congress unwilling and unable to do its job, keep the government running. they've seen the fact that we've passed -- we passed a budget. we passed a continuing resolution here in the senate. the small group in the house of representatives, small group of republicans, say "no, we have to have everything we want or nothing." and that's why we see here in washington humans, national

monuments barricades. but it's more than just that, mr. president. this morning in the judiciary committee we heard from the director of the national security agency that as each day goes by, the impact and jeopardy of a shutdown to the safety and security of this country will increase. and that's true. and the true toll of this needless exercise is just beginning to be felt. some decry federal spending as though it is some sort after communicable disease. but millions of american families -- republicans, democrats, independents -- rely on government-supported programs that provide the lifeline that keep them going. key nutrition programs like the supplemental nutrition assistance program. in my state, that supports 100,000 vermonters. another 1,600 children and families benefit from head start. they're the ones that are going to create and run our jobs in the next generation. more than 117,000 seniors are on

medicare, 200,000 vermonters on medicaid. they don't know how long this is going to continue. but the shutdown is hurting them in other areas, too. buyers hoping to purchase a home with a loan from the f.h.a. are being turned away. can you imagine that ripple effect. they're saying, oh, the economy. they're trying to kill the economy by not letting the federal housing administration work. in vermont, 450 technicians in the national guard were furloughed yesterday, another is 00 released from active -- another 100 released from active orders. that financial effect of course, but the national security effects are amazing. in vermont, we have a lot of agriculture. there's no one in this the field or in the office at the department of egg agriculture.

they've been forced to close up shop as a result of the closedown. w.i.c., for pregnant women and young children, is 00% federally funded. bur there's only two weeks of funding available in vermont for the nearly 16,000 participants in the state. we'rwe're saying in two weeks, sorry, child, sorry, pregnant woman, we can't feed you. can you just wait until we get our act together? but we're wai eating very well? but can you go without food for a few more weeks because we've a few more press conferences and photo ops? we heard from one hospital in vermont. the time has come for them to pay that are contractor. the money is there. but nobody is at the usda office

to authorize the payment. work is like it stop. people are apt to be laid off. winter is going to come and that time to construct affordable house something lost. federal agencies operate in the 50 states. we know that. there's 40 of them in vermont from the department of homeland security, the postal srvetion the veterans administration -- the postal srvetion the veterans administration, the department of defense, the department of arks the department of justice -- that's 7,000 people in my little state. nearly 1,000 of them reported o work to receive a furlough notice. they have families. they have mortgages. they have payments. they have medical expenses. and slid were told, oh, i'm sorry, we -- people here, the republicans in the house of representatives, a small segment of them, are saying, we're making points for our supporters, so tough for you.

don't -- you're not going to find an acceptable way to pay your bills. but we want you to pay your bills. we're just not going to pay ours. failing to fund the government doesn't simply mean federal workers are furloughed. no, revenue streams for the federal government dry up. the department of education -- nobody is there to collect on the student loans, the department of justice, litigation, false claims act, fraud cases bring a lot of money to the government. they're on hold we can go back and forth with this ping-pong continuing resolution. now we're told we'll do it bit by bit, agency by agency. come on. if they really cared about having the government going, they'd pass the appropriations bills, go to -- let's go to conference. let us n know that we can do it without being filibustered by some of their same supporters.

go to conference and then vote them up or dowfnlt then you'd fund the national park service, the forest service and others. there is a clear path forward. we open the government and then pass in conference appropriations bills in regular order. from the treasury, the federal judiciary, the district of columbia, so on. the democrats in the senate passed a continuing resolution to fund all federal agencies, to give us time l to consider things for the next six weeks. a handful of partisans in the house of representatives say "no, we can't do it." we're elected to make decisions here, not to do slogans. this vermonter, like so many others, is sick and tired of the politics as usual. let us come to the table. let's be grown-ups and do what we said we ran for office to do. i'd ask consent my full statement be made part of the

record. the presiding officer: without objection. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. mr. coats: mr. president, today is day two of the ongoing government shutdown, and negotiations to find a resolution to our differences remain in a stalemate. actually i don't think we can even use the word "negotiations" because you really can't negotiate if there's only one side at the table. it takes two parties, and there's only one party there. and yesterday the majority leader reid made it crystal clear when he blocked the house republican proposal to sit down and talk. for months we've heard that republicans need to sit down and talk, from the senate. the sent over a bill to do just that, and the majority leader

blocked that. to say that the people in my state are frustrated with this type of action is an understatement. hoosiers and americans are tired of the ongoing dysfunction in washington and the inability of congress and this administration to do our job. and we can't do our jobs if we're not talking to each other and if the white house continues to be absent. now i've just recently learned that the president has called down congressional leaders from both parties to the white house. i initially thought that's a positive step, and then i heard the news that the white house has already released a statement saying that the president is doing this to reiterate that he will not negotiate. so my question is, what's the point? maybe a photo opportunity, but certainly no progress on the stalemate that we're addressing here today and tomorrow and perhaps for weeks ahead. it is ironic that the president

is willing to talk and negotiate with the president of iran or the president of russia but is unwilling to negotiate with republicans or democrats in the united states congress. sadly, this has been a model of the white house continued campaigning and ignoring governing, assembling pseudo campaign-like settings to blast republicans. this is not a healthful strategy to achieve a resolution to this shutdown. we have seen a series of attempts by house republicans to send over legislation that would at least fund some of the more dysfunctional effects of a shutdown. fortunately, we agreed that we would fund our troops. they're in harm's way. they have families at home

trying to pay their mortgage, keep things together, by food for the kids, save money for education, do all the things while their spouses are overseas defending our country. it would be unconscionable to stop their paychecks, and that's a positive step that we've taken. but republican, house republicans also offered a number of other initiatives, all of which have been deep sixed by the majority leader, not even allowing debate -- we can do that in this morning business time -- but not debate under the bill and simply a motion to table, which does not even allow us an up-or-down vote. i want to mention two things that the house is going to be sending over -- maybe it's here already or will be here shortly -- out of five more proposals, and they also involve our uniformed soldiers. i'm a u.s. army veteran, but i think all of us, every american, whether you're a democrat or republican, veteran or not,

would agree that we have a duty to remember, to honor and support those who have sacrificed so much to protect and defend our country. and when they complete their service and they come home, those veterans deserve to receive the care and support they need. so the house sent over an act called the honoring our promise to americans veterans act, a bill that would provide funding for disability payments, the g.i. bill, education training, v.a. home loans under the same conditions and in the same effect at the end of this just completed fiscal year. this legislation needs to be brought before us. it needs to be debated and it need to be passed, hopefully unanimously. i'm asking the majority leader not to deep-six this legislation. this is too important for our veterans. it's needed and it should be funded. any attempt to deny this i

believe will be a great disservice to the men and women who have dedicated so much and put themselves at so great a risk to have served in our military. another one of those proposals -- and there's five but i'll just talk about two -- is to pay our guard and reserve act. the bill provides funding for the pay and allowances of military personnel in the reserve component who are scheduled to report for duty, many as early as this weekend. in indiana, we have over 20,000 reservists and guardsmen, the fourth-largest army national guard in the country and the sixth-largest national guard force out of all the 54 states and provinces and territories when you combine it with the international guard. indiana is home to two air guard wings, the 122nd fighter wing at tpo*urt -- fort wayne and terre hau t*e and grishom air

force base. let's do the same for our airmen and guardmen doing their traditional duty of one week a month or as winston churchill said they are twice the citizen. some things simply need to rise above politics. let's join together. let's address this issue and make sure the men and women who have served our country do not pay the price for washington's failure to govern. mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. isakson: mr. president, i'd like to ask unanimous consent that immediately following my remarks that the senator from vermont, senator sanders, be recognized. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. isakson: mr. president, i rise today not to talk about obamacare, not to talk about a shutdown, not to talk about the debate we've been going through the last couple days, but rather i rise to talk about a man by the name of chris carr who is my

chief of staff and has been my chief of staff since i've been in the united states senate. chris will be leaving my office on november 1 to become the commissioner of economic development in the state of georgia, a tremendous opportunity for him and for my state. while it's a loss for me personally, it is a continuation of economic development in my state where my fingerprint still lies because he will be replacing my former state commissioner, chris komin is sky, which means i'll still have that fingerprint there. chris is a very special person and deserves a tribute on the floor of the senate for all he has done for me not just as a member of the senate, not just as my chief of staff but as a deep and abiding personal friend. chris joined me in 2003 when i announced to run to replace zell miller, who retired as senator from georgia. chris before that had been an torn at austinburg for what he refers to as a 15-minute brief time of period. he went on to be an advisor of the georgia public policy foundation and a dear friend of

ours who was the executive director for herman talmadge in the united states senate. he joined me in a great adventure, my race for the united states senate. he guided me in a primary people said i wouldn't win. my two opponents were a former congressman from the state of georgia and herman cain. georgia is a primary state that requires 51% plus one. we did that without a runoff because of chris' leadership and his dynamics and his hard work in how he guided that campaign. we won the general election by 58.8% was our vote at that time. i brought chris to washington, d.c. to be my chief of staff in my office. he has done a phenomenal job. he's traveled with me to africa. he's guided me through difficult times in my journey from the foreign relations committee to the finance committee to the

commerce committee and around. he's been a great guiding hand. but most importantly he's brought together a staff that's been loyal, dedicated and gotten the job done for the people of the state of georgia. chris is a great georgian. he is with what we refer to as a double dog, graduated from the university of georgia and then went to the law school at the university of georgia to get his second degree, a bachelors of law degree. he went on to austinburg and went to the public policy foundation but been with me ever since, almost a decade. and during that period of time he has served me as chief of staff. my deputy chief of staff will be replacing him as chief of staff so we'll have a continuity of service in our office. but i know i would not be where i am today if it weren't for chris carr and i know the state of georgia is going to go places it thought it would never go because of his guiding khraoerp as commissioner of economic development. for a brief minute on the floor

of the united states senate i want to pay tribute to tpraepbd, chief of staff -- to a friend, chief of staff, someone who has had a positive influence on my life and this country, the united states of america. i'm thankful to chris carr for his support and thankful for all he's done for my state and our country and our office. and i yield back my time and defer to the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: i thank the senator from georgia for yielding and ask unanimous consent that i be allowed to address the senate. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: mr. president, in vermont and all across this country, there is huge frustration with what's going on here in washington. it is clear to me that with the middle class of this country disappearing, with millions of americans working longer hours

for lower wages, with poverty today at an all-time high in terms of the number of people living in poverty, with young people graduating college deeply in debt and others not having the resources to go to college, with real unemployment, a close to 14%, youth unemployment higher than that, minority unemployment very, very high, and infrastructure that is collapsing with the ipcc, the scientists all over the world who are studying global warming telling us that we have a planetary crisis that must be addressed by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, what people are seeing is that we have all of these problems affecting them and their kids and the planet, and here in the united states congress, we can't even get a

budget passed. and people are angry in vermont and across the country, and they are frustrated. i know. i know that many people are saying a plague on everybody. you people are all terrible. i just hope that we can go a little bit beyond that and try to understand in fact what is happening and what the cause of this terrible government shutdown is and why 800,000 decent people who happen to work for the federal government today are not at work, are not earning a paycheck, are scared to death about how they're going to provide for their families or take care of other basic needs. how did it happen? well, i think, very simply, what we should understand is that the united states senate passed a

conservative, conservative budget, continuing resolution until november 15, much lower than i had wanted. in fact, it is a republican budget. it includes this terrible sequestration, something that i strongly oppose. but it was passed as a compromise gesture, sent to the house. now here is the most important point that i think people need to understand in terms of what's going on here in congress. right now, according to every knowledgeable source, the u.s. house of representatives has the votes today to pass a clean continuing resolution, the bill that was passed here in the senate. they have the votes. it's not a question of the speaker coming forward and saying, gee, i just don't have the votes. they have the votes. the political problem is that

the speaker of the u.s. house of representatives has chosen to be the speaker of the republican party, not of the whole house of representatives. and what is happening is he has 30 or 40 extreme right-wing people who are absolutely insistent that they want to repeal or defund the affordable care act or obamacare. and the only way, the only way they will support any budget if there is language in it that defunds obamacare. now the reason why we cannot support that language is not just because obamacare was passed close to four years ago and signed by the president -- it's the law of the land -- it's not just because the united

states supreme court ruled that it was constitutional. it's not just because there was an election held last year in november in which this was perhaps the major issue, and the president won reelection by five million votes. and -- and here in the senate, the republicans lost two votes, two seats, and in the house, they lost some seats. so we have been through that issue. it is the law of the land. but the real reason we cannot accept that language is that we would begin to accept a terrible, terrible precedent, and what the precedent would be is it doesn't matter what happens in an election, it doesn't matter what happens in terms of the normal legislative process of the u.s. congress. what we would be saying is that a small group of people can

blackmail the american people, can hold the american people hostage unless they get their way. and if they are successful, mr. president, if they are successful in succeeding in terms of what they want to do right now, but i can absolutely guarantee you is that in two weeks when this congress and the white house are going to have to deal with the debt ceiling and the question of whether for the first time in the history of the united states of america we do not pay our bills, the money that we owe, and whether we drive the american financial system and the world's financial system into what economists are describing as a catastrophic situation. nobody knows what will happen. it has never occurred before that the largest economy in the world would say we are

deadbeats. we're not paying our bills. but some economists believe this could have a huge impact all over the world, financial chaos, significant shrinkage of g.d.p.'s all over the world, gross domestic products, more unemployment at a time when the world's financial system is already fragile. you don't have to believe bernie sanders in saying that. ironically, you have all these guys on wall street, no friends of mine, you have got the chamber of commerce and all the multizillion-dollar businesses. they are saying to the republicans don't do it. don't take us over the edge. it will have a catastrophic impact on the economy. mr. president, when we talk about what's going on hear, i don't want people to take my word for it. i have a political position, and people know what that is, but i

want to hear what some responsible republicans are saying about the reckless actions that are taking place in the house. and i'm not going to read them all, but let me read just a few. these are what republicans are saying about the house republican attempt to attach obamacare to the budget resolution and bring the united states government to a shutdown. saxby chambliss, a republican senator from the state of georgia, he says -- he is no friend of obamacare. he says i'd love to defund obamacare, too, but shutting down the government and playing into the hands of the president politically is not the right thing to do, plus it's going to do great harm to the american people if we pursue that course. we have been there. it didn't work. dan coats, republicannian, he was on the floor a moment ago. here is the hard truth --

president obama will not overturn his signature legislation so long as he is president and the democrats have control over the senate. along with these political realities, refusing to pass legislation to keep the government funded will not stop obamacare from going into effect. representative peter king, republican, new york, in the house -- quote -- "we should not be closing down the government under any circumstances. that doesn't work, it's wrong, and, you know, obamacare passed. we have to try to defund it. we have to try to find ways to repeal it, but the fact is we shouldn't be using it as a threat to shut down the government. and many, many, many more. republicans, republicans are saying the same thing. what we believe right now is that a significant majority in the house of representatives today are prepared to end the shutdown if the speaker will give them the opportunities.

mr. president, interestingly enough, while we have great discussions here about obamacare , and many of my republican friends come up here to say how terrible it is, the american people today in a sense are voicing their opinion on obamacare all over this country in their homes and in offices all across america. and nationally more than 10 million americans have gone on to the web site health healthcare.gov and other web sites to look for affordable health care plans under obamacare or receive more information, 10 million americans in a two-day period. the truth of the matter is 48 million americans have no

health insurance, something our republican friends forget. many of them are paying much more than they can afford for health insurance. so yes, people want an opportunity to get insurance if they don't have it, they want an opportunity to get more affordable insurance if they can. so while these guys are talking about ending obamacare, millions and millions of people all across the country are trying to find out how they can get into the program. and these guys are saying well, we don't care what millions of people want. we're going to defund it. i mentioned 10 million people have gone to the federal web site. in my small state of vermont, more than 13,000 people have visited our affordable care act web site. california, if you could believe this, one state, has reported five million visits to its affordable care act web site.

in kentucky, in kentucky, more than 78,000 visitors have gone to its affordable care afford c. and kentucky is the only state in the south that has chosen to participate fully in obamacare by participating in obamacare and expanding a state-level health insurance exchange. new york state, new york state, almost 10 million people visited the web site on the first day. so, mr. president, to nobody's surprise, if you don't have any health insurance or if you are having today health insurance that you can't afford and you are given the opportunity to come into a program which provides you with some help, people are taking advantage of it, and it's millions and millions and millions of people that are trying to figure out how they can get into the system, we have our republican friends over in the house who are saying no, we want to defund

it, we don't want to give you that opportunity. mr. president, there is a web site called nation of change, a very good web site, and i just want to read some of the headlines that they have assembled about how people are responding to the affordable care act. connecticut, health care plans begin 28,000-plus go online to state marketplace. georgia, enrollment sites are swamped on first day, according to the "augusta chronicle." idaho, idaho health exchange launches with few hiccups. indiana, insurance marketplace draws strong early interest from "the journal and currier." kentucky, the act opens to high demand. maine, the insurance marketplace opens to flood of interest. delaware, off and running in new

market. web site overwhelmed on first day of access. michigan, insurance exchange debut draws millions, "the detroit news." close quote new mexico, obamacare, plenty of request, a bevy of computer snags. on and on. colorado, heavy traffic slows web site on debut day. all across the country, to nobody's great surprise, people who had no health insurance are saying yeah, we don't want to go throughout life worrying about whether we're going to go bankrupt or whether we're going to be able to go to a doctor, and they are trying to get more information about the affordable care act, and they are signing up in huge numbers, higher than people had anticipated. and our republican friends in the house are saying we don't care that on the first day 10 million people expressed

interest in this legislation. we want to end it. we want to end it. so it passed, it's the law, millions of people are signing up, gaining information, and they are saying we will continue to shut down the united states government, deny a paycheck to 800,000 american workers. we don't care what happens to them unless we get our way. and right here in the senate and in the house, you have sensible republicans who are saying what is obvious. you don't have to agree with obamacare, i don't agree with obamacare. i think it needs to be significantly improved. i believe in a medicare for all single-payer program. but at least obamacare is providing health insurance to some 20 million americans today who do not have it. mr. president, i think it's important to make a point that is not being made often enough

in terms of putting what is going on today with this shutdown in a broader context. of course we can have an argument over obamacare. i don't think it's perfect. i want to see it improved. but where our extreme right-wing friends in the house are coming from is a lot more than trying to end obamacare, and everybody has got to understand it, and i think there is too little discussion on this issue. what we are looking at are a small group of people, these are tea party folks, right-wing extremist people, people who are funded by billionaires like the koch brothers who are worth some some $71 billion, and i want to tell you what their vision is for america because this is not just about obamacare. it is a vision for america and

what these guys want to accomplish. for them, i should say, and some of them have been quite public about it, shutting down the government is great, it is great because they don't believe in the concept of government. and one of the good sources that we can use to get a clue as to where these right-wing extremists are coming from is the texas republican party platform of 2010. and i want to use that -- i could use other sources, but texas is a very large state. texas is today controlled by very conservative republicans, and the truth is that the party platform of texas, of one state ends up, the ideas in it end up being adopted more or less by republicans here in the congress and all over the country. so what they say is -- this is not some small fringe group.

i'm not finding some wacko group out there. this is the state of texas, republican party platform of 2012. and i want to be very clear in telling you what this platform that they have is about, and these are the ideas by and large that our right-wing extremist friends believe in. so it goes a lot more than obamacare. this is what the 2012 republican party platform states. quote -- "we support an immediate and orderly transition to a system of private pensions based on the concept of individual retirement accounts and gradually phasing out the social security tax." end of quote. well, if you phase out the social security tax, you are ending social security. goodbye social security.

in my view, social security is probably the most important program ever passed by the united states government. today over 50 million people are in the social security system. social security has gone a very long way in lowering poverty for senior citizens. before social security, it was close to 50%. now it is somewhere around 10%. we have got a long way to go to get that number lower, but we have made real progress, and what they are saying is we want to eliminate social security funding, eliminate social security, and when you do that, i am not quite sure what happens to a working person when that person is 67, 68, 75 years of age. no social security. and for people who doubt me, go to the texas republican party platform. i just read exactly their quote.

quote -- this is the other thing they want to do, and i speak now as the proud chairman of the senate committee on veterans affairs. we have oversight over what the veterans administration is doing. in the veterans administration right now, we have about 152 v.a. hospitals, we have some 900 community-based outreach clinics, we have hundreds of vet centers, and in my view, they are providing not perfect but pretty good health care for the veterans of america, some six million who are now within the v.a. health care system. it's something i believe we should expand. we should make it available to every veteran in this country. this is what the texas republican party platform says -- and i quote -- "we support the privatization of veterans' health care" -- end of quote. i'm not quite sure what that means, but it means ending the v.a. system as we know it.

because the v.a. is a government-funded system. if you privatize it -- you can do it in a million ways but most likely sowbdz sounds to me you'll give veterans a voucher, similar to what the republicans in the house wanted to do with medicare, give people a sum of money, find a doctor or hospital you need. i think that is a terrible, terrible idea for the veterans of this country. but again i quote, the republican platform, texas, 2012, we support the privatization of veterans' health care. another plank in terms of what they want. i quote, "we support abolishing all federal agencies whose activities are not specifically enumerated in the constitution including the departments of education and energy." do i have a time -- i was not aware there was a time. the presiding officer: the only

time remaining is for republicans. mr. sanders: okay, if i can ask for unanimous consent for two more minutes. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. sanders: let me just say this: this debate is a lot bigger than whether or not the republicans are successful in shutting down the government because of their insistence that obamacare be defunded. what this real debate is about is whether a minority of people in the house of representatives are able to blackmail and hold hostage the american people and the united states congress and the president and say if we do not get our way, we don't care what happens to 800,000 workers and the millions of people who depend on government service. we don't care. it's our way or the highway. and in two weeks these same people, i assure you, will be saying we don't really care if

there is an international financial collapse, maybe the loss of millions of jobs, we don't really care unless we get our way. to surrender to that approach would be a horrible, horrible precedent because i can guarantee you absolutely that if we move down that path of government, they will be back again and again and maybe next year it is we're going to shut down the government unless you abolish social security. we're going to shut down the government unless you end the concept of the minimum wage because we don't believe in the minimum wage. so, mr. president, i would hope that speaker boehner becomes the speaker of the u.s. house of representatives and not just for the republican party. let the members of the house vote and if they do, i believe this government will be reopened within hours. and, mr. president, with that i would yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator's time is expired. the senator from oklahoma is recognized. mr. coburn: thank you. i would just respond to a couple of points my colleague from vermont referred to. if i recognized the votes on everything that has come to the senate thus far, i think the lowest vote total was 221. 221 is a majority of the house and the majority of the house spoke. what we do with it is our business here in the senate, so it's not necessarily a minority of the minority. if it were, you wouldn't have 221 votes. that's the first point i'd make. the second thing, i don't know what the texas republican party's platform is. but yours truly has thought that one of the things we ought to do for veterans is to give them real health care rather than promise them health care and make them travel 200 miles to get it. so part of privatization is giving veterans who have

service-connected health care available to them a card that says you can go wherever you want so that you don't have to travel like in oklahoma if you're going to have a knee operation, 145 miles to the v.a. center in oklahoma city, you can actually get it done by an orthopedist who has a whole lot more experience in a local hospital paid for at medicare rates. so the point is there are options that will give our veterans better access than what they have now. i don't know if that's what they're talking about but that was part of the patient's choice act that was never considered by the senate. i want to spend some time talking about where we are and why we're here and then i want to talk about the continuing resolution whether it has something attached to it or not. as i look at the process, what i see as stuck on a principle that has been true throughout our nation. when you do big things in government, the only way those

things are successful is when they're done in a bipartisan manner. to quote daniel patrick moynihan, that if, in fact, fact, -- historic laws don't pass barely. this is his quote. they pass 70-30 or they fail. they either fail in implementation or they fail in acceptance by the american public. i applaud the vigor of my friends in opposing the affordable care act. as a practicing physician, i see what this is ultimately going to do, and as the majority leader has spoken, the whole idea behind this -- and i think my colleague probably from vermont would concur -- for a single payer government system. as a better solution. certainly what we had wasn't

working well. i would not disagree with that. but having a bipartisan health care bill rather than a strictly partisan health care bill has probably instigated a lot of the problems that we have with this bill. besides the fact that over 62% of the american public is not in favor of this bill. they don't want the federal government shut down over it. that's obvious. but we are where we are. and one of the reasons we are where we are is i think failed leadership. both by republicans and democrats. and a polarization in our country that is not healthy for our country. so we now sit with 800,000 employees on furlough, having a real but small negative effect on our economy, and what has to happen when you have people far

apart? what you have to have is leadership that says i'm going to try to solve this problem by brokering it towards the middle. i don't know what that middle is. but what i haven't seen yet in the leadership, including the president, is a willingness to find the common ground that will move us in a direction that puts us where we need to be. you know, the thing we forget too often in the senate is that we're all americans. every one of us. what we do up here matters. it has profound effects on individuals' lives. and the fact that we find ourselves unable to come to a consensus on this very difficult

subject is what happens when you have an absence of leadership. so it is great that the president is meeting or has met with the leaders of the house and the senate. it would be great if they spent time working on a solution rather than giving press reports after the meeting. it would be good for all americans if we were not in a government shutdown. the very premise is that you can get the president and those that have voiced it, the affordable care act, which i think will be highly unaffordable for our children and us, to change this law at this time, is probably not going to happen. but there has to be a way for a

continuation of dialogue rather than to say we won't consider anything. and so the house today is going to offer up several bills that will actually take care of very great necessities of this country, and it would be fortunate if we don't consider them. now, we can vote them down, but not considering is not talking. it is not reaching across and trying to find a solution. it's hardening positions. and i would think that the american people would want us to take a time-out and say what are you doing? what is your job? you know, i recently got a letter from the liberty foundation of america by a man i greatly respect, dr. david brown. renowned orthopedist in oklahoma.

and what he's saying to people in america today is a recognition of the failure of our leadership. and i'd like to insert his letter into the record because --. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. coburn: he makes some profound obz vaition -- observations about where we are and the lack of leadership. here's a practicing orthopedist who loves his country, who wants us to solve the problems, who wants us to take back control of our government and do the things that are in the best long-term interests of the country. not what is in the best long-term interest of a politician or a political party. and i think that's where we've gotten off. everything is measured by the next election rather than by the next generation. and although i don't always agree with my colleagues -- most of them know, i'm willing to work and compromise and meet

in -- as long as we're obtaining long-term good goals for our fellow countrymen and for our children. the other thing i wanted to talk about is the c.r. itself. because lost in all this battle is the c.r. that plays a lot of games on the american people. and it's disappointing for me to see that we play games with mandatory spending by moving numbers from one year to the next year so that we can actually spend more money in a present year. i didn't vote to have a sequester. because i think it's an idiotic way to cut spending. but i do support trimming the spending of the federal government. as a matter of fact, nobody in the last nine years has done more to offer amendments, to outline duplication, to outline fraud, to outline abuse, than

i have on the floor of the senate. so it's one thing to do it stupidly. it's a whole another to actually keep your commitments to the american people. and the vast majority of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle voted for the budget control act, as did most republicans. so we have a commitment to keep our word. and so i would outline to you that -- first of all, make two points. one is that we're not keeping our word with the continuing resolution coming from the house. it actually will spend $38 billion more than what we promised the american people we would spend. and i know in washington $38 billion isn't a large amount of money, but the way you get rid of trillion-dollar deficits is a billion dollars at a time, or $38 billion at a time. so i'm disheartened that we're playing the green eyeshade and

walnut shell game on the american people with this bill. just to make my point, i'd like to outline some of the spending and some of the faults -- false maneuvers that have been done in what's called chimps, which are changes in mandatory programs. we have a program in the united states called the d.o.j. assets forfeitable fund. and this is funds that the justice department collects that are forfeited by criminals, by people doing -- breaking the law, whether it be a car in a drug bust or the money from a drug bust, and so what we're going to do is we're going to take that money out of that fund, which goes back towards things that actually enforce our

lawmplet and plus that down -- law enforcement, and plus that down so we can steal more money somewhere else. that's just $723 million. it's almost a billion dollars. more concerning to me is the fact that there's a victim compensations fund in this country and that's where criminals pay into a fund to compensate victims. there's $8.9 billion in that fund, supposedly. but last year the appropriators did exactly the same thing. they took that $8.9 billion, said they'd pay it back last year -- this year -- and they were allowed to spend almost $9 billion more on other things and take that money that should have been given to victims and spend it through the federal government. lo and behold, they didn't add the $8.9 billion back this year. they counted the same thing again.

so now we have $19 billion of not taxpayer money but criminal money that should be going to victims that's now going to be spent on other things and the victims will not receive the money that is due them through either court orders or judgments. finally, there's a lot of spending in this bill that most americans would see as foolish. and i thought i'd outline just a little bit of it. other, one other point i'd make. u.s. patent and trademark office collects fees when you file a patent. and for years they have been falling further and further behind. thankfully they got caught up. but the money that's paid for a patent application has been siphoned off not for patent applications but for spending on other things. it's a user fee. and consequently, now it's --

it's over eight months. if you file a patent before somebody even looks at that at the patent office. and it's 27 months before you get a response. if we're going to get ahead and compete in this competitive world, we've got to allow our patent office to work. and they're taking hundreds of millions of dollars from the patent and trademark office. now, what -- what does the c.r. spend money on that we really shouldn't? now, here's some examples for last year that we spent money on that we shouldn't. funding from the national science foundation for the development of a snooky, a robot bird that impersonates a female sage grouse. funding the national science fund grant that studies american attitudes towards the filibuster in the senate. an n.s.f. grant, sitejabber.com, a new web site to rate the

trustworthiness of other web sites. another grant, ecoa.t.m., a company commercializing an a.t.m. for cash if you give them your old cell phone. that's totally a private sector and yet we're funding that in an era when we have a $750 billion deficit this year and a $17 trillion debt. an n.s.f. grant paying for participants' expenses to attend an annual snowmobile competition in michigan through 2015. i don't think that's a priority when we're struggling to pay our bills. list of the department of agriculture grants. i will put those in the record. we're still spending $30 billion a year for 47 job-training programs that none of which have a metric on them, and all but

three, according to the government accounting office, overlap one another. in other words, do the same thing. 20 federal programs that cost 12 different federal agencies for the study of invasive species. i think we should study invasive species, but i don't think we ought to have 12 agencies studying it. i think we ought to have one agency studying it. and we ought to concentrate the dollars so we get good value out of that. we're still sending unemployment checks to people that make more than a million dollars a year. we have 15 different financial literacy programs, a new one being created by the consumer financial protection board. this is across 15 different agencies. we're spending millions on that. we're spending a million dollars for nasa to test food that can be eaten on mars 30 years from now. i wouldn't think that's a priority. $4 billion for 250 different grant programs at the department of justice, which the g.a.o. says has the worst record of any

agency in terms of monitoring their grants and the veracity and the compliance of those grants. $3 billion on 209 different programs for science, technology, engineering, and math across 13 different federal agencies. i think it's fine if we want to incentivize that. but do we really need over 200 programs to do that? no, we don't. but we've not addressed any of that. it's been, no, we have the g.a.o. out with a report, their third report this year -- they'll come with another one next year -- outlining at least $250 billion that could be saved by the federal government on duplicative services, in other words multiple agencies doing the same thing stoapg eac stepph other. not one bill has come before

this body that addresses that quarter of a trillion-dollar expenditures that could be saved every year. not one bill in this session of congress. so when we have a fight over spending and yet congress is the very real problem that we're having the problems on spending, we need to look at what the real problem is. and the real problem is the failure to do our job, the failure to look at programs and see if they're effective, the failure to look at programs and see if there are truly a role for the federal government as far as the constitution and as far as common sense, a failure to offer substantive changes or have the ability to offer substantive changes to those bills. so i'll conclude with one final remark. the appropriations committee did a good job this year even though at higher levels above the budget control act of getting their bills in order.

only one of those bills was offered on the floor and it was withdrawn when members of my caucus were not allowed to offer amendments. because it wasn't going anywhere if we weren't allowed the minority right to offer amendment to change an appropriation bill. so we're doing a continuous resolution to fund the government and hand capping the very -- handicapping the very employees that we're going to ask to make good decisions for our country because we won't pass appropriation bills on ti time. and we don't need a budget to pass appropriation bills because we have the budget control act that spells out where we're going to be on discretionary spending for the next 10 years. we know what the levels are. and so consequently we end up at an impasse over a continuing resolution -- over a continuing resolution that says we haven't done our job anyway.

i think what dr. david brown says in his letter is quite accurate. there's a total lack of leadership in this city sitting at the executive branch, in the house and in the senate. only america can change that. i hope they do. and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from delaware is recognized. mr. coons: mr. president, i come to the floor today to repeat a point that i think is worth repeating which is that on this second day of the shutdown of our federal government, we need to focus more on manufacturing jobs than on manufacturing crises.

i've been here as a senator now just three years, and as you know, mr. president, and many others of my colleagues know, the folks from home are calling us in record numbers to say they want us to listen to each other, to work together and to try and get help get america back to work. we all remember where we were five years ago, the deficit, the financial crisis. our financial system had collapsed and our economy was on life support. millions lost their jobs and millions more lost their savings. and we have begun to recover and to heal. we've had 7.5 million jobs created over the last 42 months. jobless claims are now at a five-year low and we've had nine consecutive quarters of economic growth. and i think we need to find ways to work together to continue to sustain that forward movement. and this shutdown of this government does not help in any way. one thing i wanted to highlight was some good news we've had. we just learned the manufacturing sector grew last month at the fastest pace in more than two years and we need to invest in that success and invest in that growth.

in the first decade of this century, we lost 6 million manufacturing jobs in this country, good-paying jobs, high-stilled jobs, jobs that come with benefits, jobs you can raise a family on. in the last three years, we've gained back half a million manufacturing jobs but we are still way short of where we were in 2000. and there are a few things we could focus on that would really help us grow this sector: skills training, opening up markets abroad, expanding access to capital, and creating a national manufacturing strategy. mr. president, i hope to come back to the floor and speak to these in much more detail in the days ahead. mr. coons: let me close by saying something i think that is simple. a shutdown is not the answer to this ongoing economic recovery. defaulting on our debt is not the answer to what the folks from our home states are calling and asking us to do. what is the answer is for the speaker of the house to allow the house to vote on a bill passed in this chamber that, if adopted, would reopen the federal government and allow us

to work together to revitalize our economy. thank you, mr. president. with, that i'll yielwiththat, i. the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed for a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate receives a bill from the courthouse is identical to s. 1566, a bill providing for a short-term extension of iraq special immigration visas as passed by the senate, the bill be rethree times, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that if the senate receives a bill from the house which is tiefl s. 15 -- which is identical to s. 1566 -- i guess we only need to read it once. the presiding officer: correct. mr. reid: that should do it. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that if the senate receives from the house any of the following joint resolutions or bills by 11:00 a.m. on thursday, october 3, that those measures be considered to have received their second reading

and objection to further proceedings considered to have been heard under the provisions of rule 14 during thursday's session. h.j. res. 70, 1, 2, 73 and h. -- 70, 71, 72, 73, and h.r. 320. the presiding officer: there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. reid: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:30 a.m. thursday, october 3. that following the prayer and the pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to day, the time for the two leaders be reed served for their use later in the day and that following any leader remarks, the senate in a period of -- period of morning business until 2:00 p.m. with the first hour equally divide and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the second 30 minutes. with senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. reid: mr. president, i therefore, ask if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it adjourn under the previous order following the remarks for up to 10 minutes of senator barrasso of wyoming.

the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. barrasso: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming is recognized. mr. barrasso: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i come to the floor today because americans all across the country today are speaking out about their personal experiences with the obamacare exchanges yesterday. instead of it being as easy as buying something from amazon, which the president had promised, americans ran into roadblocks and technical disasters state after state instead of getting good coverage, their computers crashed. these weren't just dpliches, they werjust glitches,they were. and the "caspar star" today talked about instead of just people wasting time on the computer, one cartoon at the bottom, one guy worked so hard at trying to work the computer that he ended up getting carpal

tunnel syndrome while trying to get through the computer to find out more about the costs of -- of the obama health care law through the exchanges. the -- the obama administration has had three years to prepare for the launch that occurred on october 1 and even if the technology finally gets fixed, the issue of health care will not. after people finally get a chance to examine what is being offered to them when they make a decision about enrolling or not for -- under the mandates of the law, americans are still going to find that the exchanges do not match the president's promise. now, let's think about what those promises were. last week the president was in new york with bill clinton. they had a -- it seemed like an infomercial to me, mr. preside mr. president, and what the president said is that most people, he said, will be able --

he said, shop and compare. for many people it's going to be cheaper than an average cell phone bill. the -- people aren't going to find that it's cheaper even with government subsidies than the average cell phone bill. the president also has said that the process is going to be as easy as amazon. even if they're able to -- even if the administration is able to paper over the many problems qut www.exchanges, it will d. -- with the exchange, it will not be as easy as shopping on amazon. and remember the president said if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. we're now seeing that to try to get costs down, they're limiting the market in a way and the network in a way that fewer doctors are included, fewer hospitals are included and that's causing an uproar. so instead of doubling down on a broken system, the president should grant all americans a one-year delay, the exact same delay that he gave their bosses.

the president talks a lot about a fair shake for all americans. you heard it in his campaign speeches. you hear it as he goes around and talks to groups. and he uses the word with -- quite frequently. but obamacare, unfortunately, delivers the exact opposite. what the president has done unilaterally ssess a gone outside the law to grant special deals to almost everywhich are g american public. he basically, i believe, shut down the federal government in order to continue his own policy of his health care law picking winners and losers. this can't continue. the good news is that today, after once again attempting to lead from behind in a crisis, the president is finally having congressional leaders down to the white house within the next hour to meet with him. this is an opportunity for the president to do the right thing, to open the government and to finally deliver fairness for these americans under the health

care law. after all, if we're going to give people's bosses a break from the mandates of the health care larks the president ought -- of the protec health care lae president ought to give hardworking americans a break. if the president decides that his own administration and white house employees and members of congress has special treatment under the health care larks that shouldn't be so. that should be eliminated. i do want to talk for a minute about the -- specifically about the government shutdown. over the past week, senate and house republicans have voted overwhelmingly for legislation passed by the house of representatives that keeps government operations running. it keeps parks open and it keeps americans working. senate democrats, on the other hand, have overwhelmingly rejected these proposals and have allowed the government to shut down, to have the gates closed at america's national parks, to have critical services for america's veterans go

unfunded through the veterans administration. today the senate will have the opportunity -- or tomorrow -- to pass legislation from the house that will immediately open our parks, fund services offered through the department of veterans afairkveterans affairse time-sensitive funding for the national institutes of health. we should pass these bills. we should make sure that americans can use these essential government services right now. i'd like to also take a minute to talk about another looming issue that's important to the american people and to our nation, one that the president has recently addressed. later this month congress will begin debate on the president's sixth debt limit increase, the sixth time he's come to increase the debt limit in his five years of office. now, the president has said that he is refusing to negotiate on this issue. instead, i believe the president should accept that our country can no longer avoid a bipartisan

agreement to reform entitlements. the president can no longer avoid a bipartisan agreement to reform entitlements. and i.t. the president's -- and i.t. thit's the president's jobd responsibility to lead the effort. if the president is unwilling to gel deal with our country's debt, congress is left with little dhois use the debt limit to force him into fiscal solutions. the debt limit is the symptom of a another illness -- washington's addiction 0 spending. the status quo is not sustainable. and it's interesting how the president has seemed to change his tune. the president gave a number of speeches in the senate when he was a senator, and you can go back and what did he talk about, raising the debt ceiling? he described it -- this is of course when george w. bush was president. his key words were

"irresponsible." president obama as a senator said it was unpatriotic about raising the dent ceiling, unpatriotic and irresponsible. that's barack obama in this body, in this chamber, in 2006. president obama at the time as senator actually called raising the debt ceiling quotes a failure of leadership." "a failure of leadership." isn't that what the president hihimself should be accused of s he tries do the thing he so visa memently objected to when -- vehemently objected to when he was in the united states? in september the c.b.o. reported that in the long-term, defense, education, and infrastructure, and all discretionary spending will be squeezed by entitlement programs as well as interest on the debt. over the next 75 years

discretionary spending will increase by 39%. this makes the sequester cuts look like child's play, mr. president. medicaid and other health spending increases by 159%, interest on the debt increases 823%, social security spending rises by just 37%, only because c.b.o. assumes drastic benefit cuts in the year 2033. the president recently spoke against making cuts, though, to discretionary spending. so that number is underestimated. the president failed to mention that by refusing to make much-needed changes to entitlement programs, he's guaranteeing that these investments, as he calls them, will continue to shrink. entitlement reform is needed not only to preserve other federal spending but in order to slow our ever-expanding debt. president obama has bragged he's no longer racking up the record-setting deficits he did in his first four years. those self-congratulating

straiments will be short-lived. ththe deficit will soon start to rise. america's debt will continue to grow and entitlements and interest payments are on the course to overwhelm the entire federal budget. the american people deserve to hear the truth, deserve to hear the truth about the tough choices we must face together as nation. they also deserve an open and honest discussion about how we're going to make those choices. the president as well as congressional democrats ought to rethink their strategies of leadership via blame game and saving via spending. the president and democrats have an opportunity today at the white house to put the games aside and work with us on opening up the government, on delivering fairness for all americans, and on actually reducing our debt. i hope they use this meeting to finally do what's right and to

help the american people. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. harkin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa is recognized. mr. harkin: i ask that further proceedings under the quoarkt call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: i ask unanimous consent that the remarks i'm about to give be joined with the remarks i gave he willier today to -- i gave earlier today to show no break in the record. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. harkin: i appreciate that. so, mr. president, i have been talking about the center for disease control and when the shutdown means in terms of monitoring outbreaks -- foodborne outbreaks, illnesses, virus outbreaks -- and at that that's not happening now. but i want to turn to another thing. and that is, what did c. -- and

how c.d.c. keeps americans safe every day, that's in food safety. mr. president, the center for disease control has stopped its epidemiological work to identify potential outbreaks and link the outtbriek a food source -- the outbreak it a food source. i can't tell you what might get missed while the c.d.c. is shut down. but i can give you a few examples recently where the c.d.c. has foun sounded the ala. just ^12 days ago 162 people in ten states became ill with help tighhelphepatitis-a. the states are as far apart as california and new jersey, hawaii, and wisconsin. but because of the expertise of the center for disease control

and prevention, they were aiblg table-- they were able to go out this secured, recall the food, trace it down. they traced it, believe it or not to some pomegranate seeds that came from turkey. not american, but turkish. that's just another way in which the center for disease control protects the safety of americans. in august cyclosponso cyclospord people who ate a salad mix. the outbreak was first identified in my home state of iowa and immediately called in to the center for disease control and the c.d.c. got ahold of other state states. the next place is popped up, texas. iowa, then texas. then they traced it. so the c.d.c. put its

detectives, as i call them, to work. they isolated this salad mix, found out that it was traced to a place in mexico. it was recalled, and, yes, 643 people got sick, but we stopped it. we stopped it before it spread any further and before anybody died. that's what c.d.c. did. well now, c.d.c., because of the government shutdown, is stopped. i don't know -- i hope that there's not another outbreak like this, but you never know. but the detectives, the epidemiology team of c.d.c. is now furloughed. what's that mean for the safety of americans? so when the congressman from iowa on the other side said, oh, well -- you know, he said, the

sky hasn't fallen and the roof hasn't caved in because the government hasn't shut down, implying that it's no big deal. well, i hope and pray that we don't have a virus outbreak tar a bacteria outbreak or a foodborne outbreak like i just mentiomentioned. well, will food contamination happen tomorrow? will a flu outbreak happen this weekend? so we've heard people say we shouldn't be too concerned about the shutdown. it might only last a few days. to those i ask, how many days can we afford to lose when a virus emerges? in those few days how many more people will buy and eat a contaminated product? how many more people will catch the flu or west nile virus or hepatitiis did, ans and could id

on? how long request we afford to put a blindfold on the c.d.c.? i'm not trying to frighten anybody, but i am telling the facts. what i have said here happened recently. this is not myth logical. thi-- this is not mythological. these things happened just within the last few weeks in america. people got sick. people lost work. so again, we have to be concerned. yes, maybe the sky hasn't fallen, but is that what we have to have happen? before we republic the government? -- before we reopen the government, i say to that congressman from iowa? is that what has to happen, a lot of people have to get sick and a lot of people have to die and then we can say, oh, i guess now we have to reopen the government? what a terrible way to run government.

now, another area -- another area -- and again i'm talking about things under my jurisdiction as the chair of this committee. the social secuy administration furloughed 18,000 federal employees in social security offices across the country, 29% of the agency's workforce. well, i suppose some would say so what, they're just bureaucrats. well, let's take a look at that. now checks will still go out. social security checks will still go out. disability and retirement claims will still come in. but that's it. what that means is delays in basic services for the 180,000 people who visit a social security office every day in america. 180,000. or the 445,000 people who call social security offices every day, who have a problem, who have a question. maybe a lost card.

need i mention what it means when you have a lost social security card and you don't have that i.d. and you're trying maybe even to get some health care services or something else and you don't have your social security card? some 22,000 americans a day file for retirement benefits. 12,000 a day apply for disability benefits. now as i said, social security will continue to accept those, but nothing will happen. that means the backlog piles up and piles up and piles up every day. 22,000 a day file for retirement benefits. they can file them but nothing happens. and so that just builds up day after day after day, and the backlog gets worse. it already takes about 13 months on average to get a decision on an appeal for disability benefits. with this shutdown, it's going to be longer. it's going to be 14 months and

15 months and 18 months and on and on. if you need a new social security card, sorry. as long as there's a shutdown, you can't get one. you cannot get a new social security card. if you need to replace your medicare card, tough luck. you're going to have to wait a long time. at the department of labor, the department of labor, the department of labor staff who investigate worker violations such as wage theft will be at home instead of on the job. some worker protection staff are still on the job, but they're only looking at the highest-risk facilities or responding after an accident has occurred. this isn't acceptable. take for example msha, the mine safety health administration. it is unable to conduct all of its required inspections because of the shutdown. how many safety and health

violations won't be identified correctly. how miners are at risk of life long injuries because of the shutdown? as someone remarked the other day, you know these mine operators -- i heard this said. said they can smell a mine inspector two miles away. well now, what are these mine operators going to do? we know what their track record's been in the past. when they know that they're not going to get inspected, they'll ramp up production. they'll get as much out of their miners as they can and they won't worry about the safety because the inspectors aren't coming around. how many miners will have their health affected? will be injured? and i certainly hope not die, but you never know. that's just, again, in the department of labor. the presiding officer: the senator has used ten minutes. i apologize for interrupting.

mr. harkin: i ask consent for ten more minutes. mr. president, it's not just our current workforce that is impacted by this stalemate. the government shutdown is also threatening to shut the door. head start classrooms this month grants for 22 head start providers are scheduled to be renewed. these are simply continuations of existing grants. the providers have already enrolled children after a shutdown, this funding will be cut off. as a result 18,000 children and families those programs serve are going to be losing access to early childhood education services this month. this month. this month. mr. president, as i said, i could go on and on, but i just wanted it point out how people are being affected by this shutdown that may not be visible, but it's there and it's

hurtful to them and their families and our country. this shutdown needs to stop. it's time for cooler heads to prevail. it's time to end this mindless, damaging preventible shutdown. there's one simple way to do it. all the speaker of the house has to do is bring up a clean continuing resolution which is sitting over there right now, and bring it on the floor of the house, and the votes are there to pass it, and the government will be back in business tomorrow. if he did that, the shutdown would be over. americans would know that their safety and health, everything from food to illnesses to viruses to bacteria, food safety, they will be, again, protected by the centers for disease control and prevention. we know the research and operation of the national institutes of health will continue. we know our workers will be

safe, once again, on the job because of the department of labor. and we know that our social security offices will be open and running and be able to process claims and issue new social security cards and medicare cards. mr. president, i just want to make it very clear, a lot of people are being hurt by this. they may not on the front lines, may not be highly visible but they're out there and being hurt every day. and it is a shameful, shameful comment on a great nation like ours that we continue this government shutdown, hurting so many people in this country. mr. president, with that, i yield the floor and note the -- and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until 10:30 a.m. tomorrow.

now back to the senate floor to hear remarks from senate leaders on the ongoing government shut down. we will start with majority leader harry reid. >> americans are tired of this knockdown fight that costs the economy billions of dollars. the way to have sound footing is sound policy through regular order in the process not to start concessions through dangerous, hostage-taking. first, republicans must the government and reaching a

reasonable compromise. right now, republicans led by john boehner are the only thing standing between congress and compromise. and i would suggest he stopped taking advice from bachmann and cruz. it seems they are too mad at me personally, too obsessed with getting me personally. getting me to back down on doing what most america believes is right. the "national review" said yesterday john boehner could rob the government of the money that he is too obsessed with villans and too afraid of the tea party to do anything for the country. the careful of the words you choose. no one likes to be called a villain. so i looked up in the dictionary

i acknowledge i probably wasn't a born in a place that most people would like to be. i wasn't raised the way most people would like to be but i have tried my best to become a part of mainstream society. the other definition is i'm a scoundrel or a criminal. i'm not a criminal. i'm not a scoundrel. so everybody get a different definition from me. well, madam president, in spite of being the bolin i have some suggestions. i really do believe that there are reasonable republicans in congress. understand who they represent. understand that america is waiting for them to do the right thing. i know they believe in public service but understand public

service is important. i urge them to think about 30 babies, little kids, who yesterday were brought by their parents to washington, d.c. for hope, hope that their little babies and children are not going to die. that they can get life-saving treatment. they were turned away. so, i urge them to do the right thing. i urge them to join us in the federal government. >> if it wasn't clear early this week while republicans were asking to delay obamacare it should be clear to everybody this morning. the rollout of this thing made a trip to the dmv look like a good time. the word of the day was glitch and you could explain of one or two of these, maybe three, but not the level which is in

nebraska and maryland and florida and wisconsin and illinois and kentucky. notte glitches all across the country. kentuckians that tried to login yesterday got a server error. let me translate that. it didn't work. i mean, if the plural of the anecdote is there, the glitches has to be systemic failure. this is all that the democrats were so adequate about unveiling yesterday they were willing to shut down the government over it. instead of agreeing to a couple of common sense proposals related to this, they stuck to their absolute position. 100% of obamacare and how they want it, no matter what. this of course unless the president thinks that you are one of the chosen few who deserves a special break. so basically they shut down the

government because they didn't think that middle class americans deserve the same kind of treatment as their employers to get and because they didn't think that congress should have to follow the same rules on the obamacare changes as everybody else. these were fair things to ask for. they were reasonable and the democrats in washington could have brought themselves to that sensible position. they would have voted to keep the government open. but in the end they got their shutdown which they apparently think will help them politically. and they held on to their absolutist position on obamacare regardless of the consequences for american families. and today's into this thing they still refuse to budge. the president reiterated again yesterday that he isn't interested in talking. the majority leader made it clear that he isn't interested in talking either. he shot down every attempt to engage in serious discussions with the house or anyone else

for that matter. this week washington democrats had the choice, deutsch and basic principles of fairness when it comes to obamacare or shut down the government. they chose the latter. it was the wrong decision in my view to shut down the solutions to start talking and put the interest of the constituents ahead of the interest of their party to the estimate of the previous order the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order that the senate will be in a period of morning business for debate until 12:00 new and with time equally divided between the leaders or their designees for the senator is permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. >> the majority whip? >> there were two headlines in the newspapers across the united states this morning. i saw this in time of the financial times as well as the "wall street journal". and the headlines noted

americans flock to the insurance exchanges. americans flock to the insurance exchanges. was the first day that we have the rollout of the website where on the injured americans had an opportunity to shop. real competition of a variety of plans. this is a dream come true. most of these people have lived their entire lives either without health insurance or with no traces. a take it or leave it policy that may be worthless when they need it. situations where many of them never, ever once in their lives were able to be injured when it came to health insurance. many of them offered no benefits they couldn't afford to buy health insurance.

they couldn't buy health insurance if they wanted to. it wasn't even offered. 2.8 million americans came on the first day on the website to go shopping for health insurance they told the story of a man that gave up hope because he had a child with a mental illness and because of that, he could never buy health insurance. he was disappointed. he wanted to sign up yesterday. but so many people came to this website the first day that he wasn't able to meet all of the needs of the people who were shopping for wanted to there will be an opportunity to win and i'm sure that will be soon. the republican leader would come to the floor and barely disguise glee to talk about the first day's problems with the affordable care act.

there is no question that many republicans are not only praying for the affordable care act to fail, but they are betting on it. none of them voted for it. not a single republican voted for it. and they are frightened. frightened at what is to come when the verdict of history comes down on this program. and i think what the decline of the verdict will be. there will be some bumps in the road and problems with the website. but in the end of the american people understand the fundamental fairness of the affordable care act. the fundamental fairness that said yes, we have a right as americans to health care protection. fi had a moment and that life when i had no health insurance. brand new father with a brand new beebee with medical challenges and no health insurance to get i never felt

more helpless in my life, praying that my little girl would get the best when i didn't have health insurance. when you understand what is at stake those on the other side that were opposed to affordable care don't want to extend a helping hand to those that have been denied for years. stick with the current free market system. 40 million americans have been left behind in the current system. that is on the president is fighting for the affordable care act and why we have to continue to fight every single day to make sure that it is not defunded as americans try to do just a few days ago to make sure that the coverage for individuals is not in the late as republicans tried to do just a few days ago. we have to fight to make sure that americans have this chance. there is no turning back when it

comes to offering health insurance to families that desperately need them. so what are the republicans prepared to bet on for this wager to end affordable care act and health care reform? they are willing to bet the federal government, to shut it down over the affordable care act. harry reid, our democratic leader told the story that was reported in "the wall street journal" that the national institutes of health not far from here just in the near suburbs of maryland this is a beacon of hope. this is where some of the most important medical research in the world is taking place. and ahead of that, dr. francis collins may be one of the most extraordinary people that has ever been involved in public service. he was the head of the national genome project and they said they would probably take him five, six, eight years.

he was so good and had so much talent to turn to that he did it in a very brief period mapping the human genome. in doing so, he started opening doors to understanding and knowledge and finding cures that he took that back and they apply it every single day to save lives and find cures. but now for the second day in a row, three-quarters, three-fourths of the scientists and doctors and researchers at the nih stood at home not able to engage in this critically important research and unable to find the new drugs and surgery is, medical devices, procedures to save lives. that's part of the republican government shut down. to congratulate themselves on finally bringing the government to its knees. but they have to take responsibility for what they have done as well. they have shut down the national institutes of health.

they shut down the research and madame president, it's worse. because you see, the toughest medical cases in america and at the doorstep of the nih. the most challenging medical conditions, families and people who have just about given up hope think there is one last place to go. the very best. yesterday dr. francis collins announced that 200 people who would have started clinical trials this week at the nih were turned away because of the government shut down. 200. and within that population of 200, 30 children, most of them cancer victims. imagine for a moment that you are the mother or father of a child diagnosed with cancer. you have one last hope. the national institutes of health. it may be personal sacrifice for

dewey and your family to come out here that you're going to do it. it's your baby. you come to the front door of the nih and there is a sign that says this agency is closed. why is it closed? national emergency, crisis de sastre? no pity of a manufactured political temper tantrum coming from the tea party, speaker boehner and those that believe that this is the right way to go. excuse me if this example is so stark. but i haven't even gotten into the details. i would invite any family that has been a victim of the government shut down at the nih or any of their medical facility to come to my facebook page and mike nutter account. send me a message and tell me your story. i want to come to the floor and tell that story, too. you shouldn't disappear into the shadows as we make of this malaise. you ought to be front and center please tell your story. i know it's a matter of confidentiality and if you don't, i certainly understand.

but that's what it's come down to. they said yesterday for example we are going to open the veterans administration. the senator has made a decision he's going to pick and choose the agencies to reopen. we will start with the veterans administration. in other words, the former speaker said they are going to release one hostage at a time when it comes to the federal government. but you see where the tea party republicans failed to acknowledge is of the 800,000 federal employees that have been furloughed over 500,000 of them are veterans. if you are going to care for the veterans, put this government back to work to get over 500,000 veterans working for the federal government back to work. incidentally, one out of four of them are disabled. a disabled veterans put out the payroll furloughed. no promise that they would ever be paid because of the tea party government shut down. madam president, we have serious

challenges facing america to the head of the first thing we need to do is reopen this government now. with a bill he could bring before the house by 11:00 this morning they could vote on it and the word would go out before noon if the government is reopened. that is how quickly we can add. it's there but he won't call for the vote. what is he afraid of? why will he call for this measure in the house? i will tell you why. he knows that will pass because every democrat will vote for it and moderate republicans will stand up and vote for it. the only hope that we have to end the crisis is of moderate republicans will step forward now and say we are not part of the strategy. we want the government opened we are prepared to face all the challenges that follow, but we are not going to move forward at the expense of patients coming to the national institutes of health.

once again the republican leaders come to the floor and mentioned that the members of congress would be in the insurance exchanges, the san exchanges that were advertised yesterday for the first time. we are in the insurance exchanges because of an amendment offered by the republican senator grassley. and it's part of the affordable care act passed. for the exact same kind of policies offered to all americans on the exchanges. for the staff and for the members of congress. over half of the american people that their health insurance through the place of employment. the have employer contributions that help them pay their monthly premiums. the same is true for federal employe use and for members of

congress. the same thing will be true when it comes to the insurance exchanges. there is no special treatment for members of congress. the notion you can't have an employer's contribution when it comes to the insurance exchanges is flat out wrong. a business with fewer than 50 employers can send employees to the exchanges and continue to contribute for the premiums. it's already accepted under ball so there is no special treatment. it's just another diversion. trying to find ways to create chaos and uncertainty when it comes to the affordable care act. that is the message of the republican party to the and unfortunately it is being delivered at the expense of 800,000 furloughed federal employees and the service the government offers in 200 people turned away this week for clinical trials at the institute of health. and i yield the floor. >> madame president, i listened with great interest to the

distinguished deputy majority leader. i was reminded of a radio commentator who is perhaps not remembered as frequently now that he had a radio show when he started out he would say now for the rest of the story i would like to offer the rest of the story. i listened as the center talked about the fact that the national institutes of health is not open for business. the good news is that republicans and democrats both agree that we should reopen the national institutes of health and in fact it is my understanding the house of representatives will pass a bill as early as today and send it over here to the united states senate. i hope that the senator like over the last few days where he has killed every reasonable

offered that he will reconsider and he will not kill that funding for the national institutes of health during the partial government shutdown. so there is some other areas i think we can work together. the senator knew that republicans were going to come to the floor and try to make sure that the uniformed military continued to get their full pay on time during this and past -- with in pass. like the good politician he is he beat us to the punch. he had the same offer and the good news is that there was bipartisan support for funding the troops, the uniformed military on a timely basis in full during this impasse. but this has any sort of surreal experience in so many ways. and because my friends on the other side of the ogle have been

making what i consider to be some very strange argument coming to a strange argument, the argument that they have been making is that the president obama health care law known as obamacare is untouchable and that our efforts to modify in any way are illegitimate or their favorite word is extreme or the product of some effort by the tea party republicans or some other disparaging connotation heineman not sure exactly how to respond except to say this if obamacare is untouchable and is perfect, if we can't change one word or one sentence about obamacare dennett you need to tell the obamacare

administration. since 2010 the administration has granted more than a thousand different weaver's to its friends and political allies. it is all spent on a large portion of obamacare known as the class act. it's the way that obamacare's basic health care program and delete the employer mandate and when we try to delay the individual mandate so that average americans get the same sort of consideration from this administration that employers get and that businesses get we were told that this was an unreasonable request. the senator table that and that is what is killing the provision rather than taking it up and increasing to say if employers get a break for a year then it let's give average americans a

break. the obama administration is likewise a delayed the eligibility for the exchanges that started yesterday. in other words, you could apply for one of these insurance exchanges but you don't have to prove what your income is today if there is an open invitation for fraud i am not aware of what it might be. but that is what the obama administration has done is to delay the eligibility verification for the obama exchanges. and they believe the cap on the out of pocket expenses the obama administration has by its very actions demonstrated that obamacare is not perfect. that itself has made the administration by some actions has acknowledged that obamacare is not ready for prime time.

now, this became painfully obvious to millions of americans yesterday when the obamacare exchanges encountered widespread problems on its first day of operation. now, the president calls these glitches, a nice tested fairly benign sounding word. but these were systemic failures of the obamacare exchanges yesterday when they came on line. obviously not ready for primetime. meanwhile, they're have been other changes in this debate can't change the word obamacare. the supreme court, while we are certainly acknowledged is of held with major portions of obamacare it's important to remember that it is declared a major piece of law, the compulsory expansion of medicaid is unconstitutional.

unconstitutional, incompatible with the fundamental law of the land to get it does that sound like fill all that is perfect and can't be changed? well, let me give you another example. during the obamacare debate democrats voted on a party-line vote to impose a medical device tax on the medical device manufacturers that isn't based on their income. it's based on their reseats how much money comes in the door to before they even deduct the cost of doing business in their overhead. so they would actually have to pay taxes without it generating any net income because of the nature of the tax. this is a job killing tax. i have had constituents come into my office and say we have operations in costa rica so we have to move jobs we would

create in dallas to co-star rica because this job telling medical device tax committee and you know what, medical devices are some of the most innovative part of the health care system held better to discourage medical innovation and life-saving discoveries in manufacturing than the growth receipts tax on the medical devices. that isn't just my opinion. last time we had a debate, 79 senators voted against the medical device tax because they knew that there was a mistake. infil all that we are told today and yesterday and the day before is perfect in every way. wouldn't change a thing. yet the senate democrats are winding up to repeal the medical device tax. yet somehow in the schizophrenia

that i do not quite understand other democrats are saying an attempt to do that would represent the partisan extremism. which one is it? i think the american people know. i'm not really sure exactly how our friends on the other side of the aisle define extremism. but i would submit to you that very few extreme ideas gained the support of 79 senators on the bipartisan basis. how is it extreme to delay the individual mandate when the administration has unilaterally done the same thing for businesses? how is it extreme to ask members of congress to live by the same that apply to everyone else? the majority leader senator reid continue to the resolution that

would change the special carve out for congress that would provide a delay of the individual mandate for the average americans like the administration has already done for businesses and we are told that that is extreme. that somehow we are the ones that cause the government shutdown. it's the best thing that's happened to them publicly in recent memory. and so rather than come out and tells him that that it stories about what is happening at nih let's work together to mitigate some of the hardship and inconvenience. let's talk about working through this impasse. why can't we get the president of the united states to talk about what he apparently reportedly intended to do in the

first place which is to convene a meeting at the white house of republicans and democrats to work through this. they are not just refusing to make a big compromises. they are refusing any compromise. my way or the highway. they won't even agree to keep the memorial's open for the honor flights that are coming to washington dc. i would urge the majority leader and president obama to join with us in passing a bill today that would keep our war memorial open. my father was a world war ii veteran. he's dead now. but he was a b-17 pilot in world war ii on his bombing mission and he was shot down and captured as a prisoner of war. my father-in-law landed on the beach in the second day of the normandy invasion. he's 95-years-old now. his mind is still sharp and his body isn't quite what it used to

be kidding if he would love nothing better than to come to washington, d.c. on one of these flights, but unfortunately his health will not allow him to do it. the chairman of the flight network has said that it is beyond belief that those deserving men and women who have waited for decades to see the memorials and selected a trip of a lifetime to discover that they may not be able to see their memorial and for many of them, madam chairman, madame president, this may be the last time they get during their lifetime. so i've asked the president to cancel his trip to asia that he is leaving on on saturday to overrule cementer reconvening that meeting at the white house and to come together to try to work through some of these differences. we can fund nih. we can do it today if senator reid and president obama would

allow it but we are told it's my way or the highway and we actually like the shot down. they are saying to themselves because they think they are winning politically. but they are not running politically when the american people are the losers. >> senator from new york. >> -- sometimes stretches credulity to the who shut down the government? was it harry reid? note he kept passing the messages to keep the government going. was it barack obama? no. we know who it was putative as a band of the tea party in the house putative as his junior colleagues in the senate who had the idea of shutting down the government. the truth has some degree of the credulity to get up and say harry reid and barack obama

opened up the government. when his colleague led the charge to shut it down. when the cry of the tea party shut down and we are desperately trying to keep open. one of the amazing things about the politics is all the rhetoric has become so detached from reality. then we have talk radio and some of the networks, fox news who repeat it. i saw a cartoon in the new york post yesterday saying that they are exempt from obamacare and it's not true. we are part of obamacare and we will join the exchange. it is so angry that obamacare and frankly that president obama and the fact that he just had an

election run on their issues but they are so angry that the rhetoric just becomes totally detached from reality and totally detached from the truth. the speaker in the house wouldn't keep it open. after senator cornyn and so many of the other republicans paved the way to open up the government with a vote to allow them to go forward that about 25 republicans even though ted cruce was urging them not to vote that i. shutting down the government was a bad thing so on the one procedural vote that mattered he could have had the senate shut down the government, he voted the other way.

so madame president, the real bonus is on speaker boehner. the entire focus should be on speaker boehner to be a some might say that it would be on ted cruce. this senator from texas. it's the speaker of the house that has the responsibility to listen when so much is at stake. where the speaker seems to be listening to the junior senator from texas. when they say jump the house jumps and the junior senator wanted the house to embark on the crusade to find obamacare. so the speaker did it.

the junior senator from texas told them to delay obamacare for a year so the speaker did it. and now the junior senator from texas is telling the house to pass piecemeal bills on the programs against each other and now the speaker is trying to do just that. senator cruce has driven the speaker to put the kids who should be enrolled in head start against the kids that should be enrolled in cancer trials. his driven the speaker to take families that want to visit the statue of liberty against families that own a small business and need help from the sba. he's put research and cancer against help for our veterans. it is a cynical strategy. and like all of the others that they have sent us and that have failed as these will fail today

it has one purpose not to get anything done, but to try to wiggle out of the view. senator cornyn's rhetoric won't work. so then try to come up with these gizmos, these gimmicks, these legislative ploy is to say i am trying to do something. at the same time when he is any vice lock grip of the tea party members of his house you've taken their orders from the junior senator of texas. so there is a simple way to open up the government. i say that to my friend. he is my friend, senator cornyn of texas, and to my other colleagues on the republican side in the house. he's sitting their waiting for a vote that will open up at the

nih and the veterans administration and open up the world war ii memorial so the guy with a little sandwich shop right by the statue of liberty gets his business back. this doesn't just hurt the federal government. it doesn't even just hurt 800,000 families who are not getting their paychecks and who depend on them. that is not abstract. it hurts lots of private sector people as well, whether they be the construction workers building the road, using federal dollars, or the veteran waiting for the disability claim to come through or with a sandwich shop next to the closed statue of liberty that is making no sales. it's not abstract. i get a little resentful when i

hear my colleagues talk about the federal government as if it is a big oger. and by the way if you watched rachel baddow the other night they said they are going to shut the government down. i think it was the contras man of south carolina that said when i get to converse i'm going to shut the government down and that he party cheered and said they shot it down. i think the goal is because they hate the federal government so much. that is their goal is to shut it down. obamacare is an excuse. but in any case, the mainstream republicans noted that shutting it down is a good thing and they know indeed that they are paying a political price. so, the speaker should follow the majority of his party, stop being scared of the tea party.

he will face them down easily in a challenge for the speaker. the speaker knows as the "national review" said this morning that more than 100 house republicans would vote for our bill to reopen the government if he put it on the floor. instead, republicans are wasting time on the political stunts and asking to go to conference on a short-term see our. in conclusion, madam president, the republicans have this exactly backwards. they said let's talk and then maybe we will open up the government. they ought to say we will open up the government and then we can talk. if republicans would switch the lights back on and allow hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal land leased to go to work and allow the cancer research to continue in the veterans to get disability

claims and kids to go back into head start who can have a discussion about the budget they rejected 18 times madame president i yield the floor. >> mr. president? >> senator from new hampshire. >> as i said before, as i said certainly as i can to the floor last week, governing by crisis is no way to run a government. we have to get our act together to run the government funded again. in terms of address in the fiscal challenges the country faces to come up with a fiscally responsible plan that puts the nation first and puts us on a path to economic security. frankly we wasted too much time and energy on the political

brinksmanship and self-inflicted fiscal crisis that also keep us from focusing on the real challenges that we face including our $17 trillion in debt and an economy that can be much stronger than it is right now to create the best climate for jobs in this country. and as i came to the floor last week, iowa reiterated -- iowa reiterated my opposition to obamacare because i have seen the impact hearing some businesses and individuals in new hampshire concerned about the rising health care cost. and in new hampshire we only have one ensure that will be on the exchange and tenet or 26 hospitals will be excluded from the exchange. but i also said last week that

shutting down the government in an attempt to defund obamacare wasn't a winning strategy for success. why? we have already seen in the exit but while that wasn't a winning strategy for success because the government shut down yesterday and the obamacare exchanges opened and continued anyway. why is that? because we knew in advance of the congressional research had told us that the mandatory funding piece that was put in obamacare would continue even if the government was shut down and we have seen that happen. so why ally continue to believe that it is wrong for america because it is causing the rising health care costs and because of the notion that i think it was

set took recently by the board of trustees at one of the hospitals who originally supported the affordable care act but can't say i supported this because we were told we could keep our doctor, and that turned out to be a lie. so i want to work with my colleagues to do whatever i can to come up with ways and that we can repeal obamacare with forces that are going to drive down the health care cost, allow people to keep their physicians, foster more competition in the insurance sector to give people more to choice but we need to end where we are right now and come to a resolution to keep this government funded in a fiscally responsible way.

and i am glad that congressional leaders are going to speak to the president tonight. but we do not need another photo op. what we need is both sides of the aisle working together to negotiate to come up with a plan to fund the government to move forward to find common ground. and i know there is common ground and obamacare that both sides of the aisle are concerned about, for example the medical device tax. when we had the budget votes earlier this year, it was 79-20 to repeal the medical device tax. members on both sides of the ogle decided that tax wasn't good for innovation or jobs that drive up the health care cost. so that is an area where we have had some common ground.

and how we can affect the health care law that i still deeply oppose. but it's time for us to make sure we can get the government funded again. in my home state of new hampshire right now one of our nations for public shipyards, skilled workers they are being put in jeopardy. they have an important function to defend the nation to maintain the class in the los angeles submarines yet due to the government shut down more than 1700 workers are being furloughed. and instead of focusing on maintaining the fleet and defending the nation, they are worried about their pay check and it is wrong. the national guard more than 340 of the new hampshire military technicians are being furloughed. these individuals lost 25 to 30% of their pay when they were furloughed because of

sequestration. this is no way to treat americans who are helping to defend the country. they play a critical role the obligations of the guard yet we are also being told that the international guard if they do not receive the furlough exceptions they may have to shut down the bridge of operations to europe in the middle east. this is about the defense of the nation. many of them have canceled their civilian jobs to come to their drill weekend this weekend that has been canceled so they are losing those days of pay as well. yesterday i was answering my phone and i have a constituent call me saying that his family had saved for years for vacation and was going to cost 25 to $30,000. they were at the grand canyon and they said senator ayotte, what is going on? we saved for years for this vacation and we can't go down to

the canyon. we must get this resolved. and we must look for common ground on both sides of the aisle to negotiate this to get a responsible fiscal plan for the nation. by the way we are fighting about six weeks of the continuing resolution right now. give me a break. we should be looking at longer-term funding for the nation. not six weeks to have this kind of impact over six weeks. i can understand why the american people are frustrated and angry. so all that i can say is tonight as congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle, meet with the president of the united states. we don't need any more posturing. let's get the blame game on both sides. no more federal office. we have already seen enough at this point. come out of that meeting with results. and yes, results mean that both sides are going to have to

negotiate and they aren't going to get everything that they want. but that is what people do in their daily lives. that's what i know people in new hampshire do to resolve their differences and that's what the american people expect of us and i hope that this ends soon so that we can move forward on behalf of the great nation. thank you. >> those remarks to place earlier today on the senate floor. the chamber currently at the white house meeting with president obama and house leaders on the way forward concerning the government shut down. if they have any remarks following that meeting we will bring those to you live on c-span2. we've got a facebook poll available on the current situation giving it a question

who do you think is responsible for the current fiscal stalemate? we've heard from more than 10,000 of you, so add your voice and leave your thoughts and comments at facebook.com/c-span. while the shutdown continues, here are a few tweets from the members of congress. now taking back to a briefing held on capitol hill the senate democratic leaders on the government shut down and where the chamber goes from here. this runs for 20 minutes.

>> we are so disappointed in what happened that it shut down. >> i just finished a conversation with speaker boehner to get my message to him was very simple. we have to stop playing these foolish games that keep coming to us from the other side of the capitol. this isn't about scoring points for one side of the other or name-calling or the villain of felons. it's about doing the right thing for the american people. they expect us to act like adults. we actually work for the american people. we are here to get things done, not to play these silly games. so here is what i propose. he is sitting on a bill that would open up the government right now. this bill would cast in a matter of minutes he just let democrats

and republicans vote. he doesn't even have to vote for them. what can vote against it but let the house work its will. i propose the house senate appointed conferees to work out the nation's long-term fiscal challenges. both sides have priorities that we want to move forward. so, let's sit down and talk. the negotiations should work. remember this isn't only out of the blue. they said they wanted a conference. so let me read you a part of the letter that i sent to him an hour or so ago. ..

work to address important fiscal issues facing our nations. i look forward to hearing from you. he can characterize the conversation between the two of us. it was a cordial senator. senator durbin? >> thank you, senator reid.

an hour ago i was at the world war ii memorial. there was an honor flight coming in. it was a lot of fun. all men who served our nation and risked their lives to keep america free. for some of them, it's the last trip they can ever make. they wanted to be here. i'm glad they were. what did they want to talk about? they wanted to talk about the government shut down. over and over again they said to me, when you going to get the government up and running again? i think about that. men who risked their lives decades ago can't understand what is going on today in washington. well, it is hard to explain. it's hard to explain how we shut down the government in a manufactured political crisis. the impact -- well, each day we come up with new examples. camps i brought to the floor and others have from the national institute of health. 200 people turned out for clinical trials because of the

government shut down. including 30 children, most cancer victims. when i raise the issue and others did senator cruz decided to put on the list of agencies you wanting to save. he ought to open up the government. there are so many agencies critically important to our country that are closed down today for no earthly reason. this morning director clapper spoke about the intelligence agencies. here's what he said before the judiciary committee. each day goes by the impact and jeopardy to the safety and security of this country will increase. over 70% of our civilian employees, the intelligence agency have been furloughed. men and women charged with the responsibility of stopping the next 9/11 are sitting at home. sitting at home. what we have today is a proposal by senator reid to speaker boehner. open the government. when you open the government, we'll open negotiations. senator murray, prepared to

address the issues that are facing this nation and congress. that is a fair, sensible, reasonable comprise. i hope that as speaker boehner reflects he'll accept it. let's end the government shut down today. let move forward as a nation. >> let me thank senator durbin for the good remarks. on the budget committee and particularly senator reid for his steadfastness in fighting a government shut down. and eagerness and always openness to sit down and have a serious dialogue with our republican colleaguings once the government opens. now the republicans have this examplely backwards. they say let's talk then maybe we'll open the government. they ought to say, we'll open up the government then we can talk. they have it backwards.

let senator -- leader reid's letter offer just what should be done. the letter says the republicans have this upside down. we're prepared to turn it right side up. if republicans would simply switch all the lights back on, allow hundreds of thousand of furloughed federal employ -- employees to go back to work. allow parents to place their kids in head start, allow cancer research to continue, these are the things that should be done. as senator durbin mentioned, the average american may say it's not effecting me when 75% of our intelligence employees are not working, everyone's security is put at risk. everyone's security. and so we are asking the republicans to open the government and all eyes are on speaker boehner. the whole country knows that he

is the one person who has the ability to reopen the government. speaker boehner is the one person who can end the tea party shut down. we're starting to calm it -- call it a tea party shut down because it's exactly what it is. it's the tea party in the house that has brought this government to its knees, holding americans, their livelihood, their economy, and yes, their security at stake. it's really not a surprise. if you go back, you can look there were a number of republican congressman who were leader of the charge who promised when they ran in 2010 they would shut down the government. they didn't tie to obamacare. there are the tea party mignons chanting in the background, if you look at the tapes saying shut it down! shut it down. speaker boehner is an accomplice

in the tea party shut down. he's trying to wriggle out of the hot seat by passing one-off bills and making half-hearted efforts to reopen piece of the government. speaker boehner is in this potion because, sadly, he's become a puppet with ted cruz pulling the strings. when senator cruz told speaker boehner to take up a crusade to fund obamacare, the speaker did it. when senator cruz told the speaker to delay obamacare for a year, the speaker did it. and when the speaker told the house to pass piece mail bills to pit important programs against it. the speaker is trying to do that. senator cruz has driven speaker boehner to pit kids who should enrolled in head start against kids who should be enrolled in cancer striels. he pitched people who want to

visit the statute of liberty against families who own small businesses. he's pitted americans against each other. he doesn't mean but speaker boehner should. we are asking speaker boehner to rise to the e -- occasion. today, more recently, the national revue said more than 100 house republicans are ready to vote for the tboil reopen the entire government if he put it is on the floor. 100. speaker boehner probably has a majority on his side. why can't he show the strength to resist the tea party min -- mignons, whom he knows is wrong and open up the government. we ask speaker boehner to seriously consider leader reid's letter. open the government: we'll sit down and talk. open the government; and we will have a budget conference. you have rejected it 18 times

here in the senate. maybe the 19th will be the charm under path i are -- patty murray. [laughter] our message, speaker boehner, today is pretty simple. end the shut down, let the government open, once do you, we'll be waiting at the table ready and willing to engage in the long-term budget negotiations that the american people, the families we represent expect and we've been trying to start for month. i've been working on this for awhile. i'm surprised to hear right as the government was shutting down on monday night house republicans said they want a conference to resolve our differences. we have been talking about that for months. we told republicans if you don't join us in a con yens and give us a time to work toward a deal

you'll push it toward a crisis. they didn't listen. they said no to a conference. they didn't want to negotiate. they thought they would have more leverage in a crisis. and they were doing everything they could to push it to this moment where there is a crisis. well, we were right. they did it. and here we are. you know, i met with some families today from washington state who flew all the way out here. one was a mom in head start who told me that two years ago she was homeless on the streets. she had been abused by her spouse and had a brand new baby. she found early head start programs, they helped her get a place to live. they put the security back in her life, helped her with her child and childbearing skills. today he's in college working to a get a degree. because of sequestration, and because of this shut down, thousand the of parents like her across it country are being denied that opportunity. now, as many of you know, i taught preschool. i will tell you one of the

things i tried to teach my young kids, when you have a difference you don't yell at each other. you sit down and you talk to each other. that's all we're asking the republicans to do. don't hold our families hostage. don't hold the head start moms and dad hostage. don't hold our veterans hostage who are government employees. don't hold anyone hostage while you do this. open up our country. let it work again. let us sit down and work out our agreement. that's what we're asking speaker boehner do. it's a lesson we need to show our kids we're able to do it. [inaudible]

senator dour bane explained it very well. he did it here and on the floor. what right do they have to pick and choose what part of government is funded. it's obvious what is going here. i don't know what word i can use. they are obsessed with the obamacare thing. as pointed in the floor in the last few days, they did the same thing on social security. they did the same thing on medicare. now they are doing it on this. it's working now and will continue to work and people will love it even more than they do now by far. they have no right to pick and choose. [inaudible] why would we want to do that? i have 1100 people at the air

force base that are sitting home. they have a few problems of their own. this is to someone -- to suggest a thing means you're as irresponsible. [inaudible] >> reporter: republicans are alreadying saying what is going to happen to the white house later today. what, if any, -- [inaudible] >> it's not my meeting. i have been invited. i'm going go. it appears that based upon our attempt to give them what they want, listen to what the letter says. we take your number. we don't like it, we took it. it's not a budget number. we also said you sent something over here if we go to conference you'll open the government. as senator schumer said reverse it and open government and we'll go to conference. i don't understand what they're doing. i repeat, reckless and

irresponsible. it's an under statement. it's hard to try to explain this. yes? >> reporter: speaker boehner on the phone when you proposed this to speaker boehner, what did he say? >> he the letter and he read it. i think it's fair -- not for me to characterize the conversation. no one was yelling. i'll let him explain it. >> reporter: you said the president should not -- best interest to have the meetings and negotiation. do you believe the -- >> you have that wrong. not me. some people felt we had to get this cr what was going on on the floor out of the way first, we

have done that. if there are clearly a way of showing they are not willing to do anything reasonably it's this. i didn't call the meeting. the president kaled the meeting. ly go to the meeting. i think it's important he listen to what boehner had to say. he knows how pelosi and i feel. [inaudible] >> reporter: rejected going a budget conference a number of times. why not move to go to an appropriation conference. >> you have to be kidding. remember, we d that. we got one republican. susan colins, they wouldn't let us go to. it we tried. it's her bill. patty murray's bill. mikulski would be overjoyed. they won't let us go. >> reporter: if they take up would taxes be on the table? >> i say in the earth -- letter yes. all the goodies i they want to

talk about, i listed them in the letter. last question. [inaudible conversations] would the debt ceiling be on the table? >> i would hope if we do long-term dealing with fiscal things in this country people should understand 10 dais from now we have the big one coming. thank you, everyone. [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible conversations] senate democratic leaders held this briefing. [inaudible conversations] good afternoon good afternoon. i hear the folks who are here behind us, i'm as frustrate adds

z they are. i think my colleagues are as well. we are here today to say these memorials in washington monument, the smithsonian museum all ought to be be opened. we're bringing a bill it is a shame that folks in this country who come to washington to be able to see these memorials can't. they should all be able to enjoy these treasures of our country in peace. that's exactly our message to harry reid and the senate, to our democratic colleagues, and the president. we ought to be working as hard as we can to open up the government in all the areas we agree on. no one disagrees these memorials should be opens. no one disagrees that we shouldn't with funding the nih. no one disagrees that we should

be helping our veterans in the kinds of services they need. those are the kinds of bills that we are going to be bringing to the floor of the house, and we hope that our democratic colleagues will stop with the games and join us in trying to relieve the paining that is being inflicted on federal employees and on people of this country due to the shut down. perhaps, maybe, there is a silver lining. that in all of this, when you're talking about the world world war ii memorial and the other kinds of war memorials we have here, perhaps the american people can look and see the great work that the honor flight organization is affording our veterans so that hopefully we too can join with them in wanting to see our veterans enjoy these memorials in -- peace. >> every week thousand of people travel to our nation's capitol. americans, sometimes, will save for a long time to be able to make the trip. in addition, we have veterans

-- world war ii veterans that we're losing every day that the honor flight organization specifically has made commitment to having them come and see this special monument that was built for them and yet today they will be greeted with a barricade. that's unacceptable. there's no reason that the monument shouldn't be open. open to americans, open to the veterans. we agree this is an important bill. it's an important legislation we can pass. republicans and democrats. the only reason they're being greeted with barricades is because the senate right now refuses to negotiability. and it all starts -- we have to start talking. we have to come to the table. we have to negotiate. all across the country, americans are being impacted. there's 800,000 right now who are living without a paycheck. others being greeted by choiced doors from government offices all across this country, again.

because the senate and the democrats in the senate refuse to negotiate. we have to start talking. we have to come to the table, and do what is good and right for america. and it all starts with at least opening up dialogue, an important dialogue, with the senate that right now. >> are a couple waifs to coan agreement. ping things back and forth. look and say what do we agree on already? if we can find the areas we agree already let's stetle. it's clear we have common ground areas. instead of waiting around and -- let's deal with the things we have common agreement on and pass those. we should be able to move this forward. this is not a difficult process to do this in the initial stages. let's don't work toward the things that are harder and harder and get them resolved. the house thick we put out as a house is put a conference committee together. let's visit the same way the house and the senate have done

it since the 1700s. when we disagree we sit down together in a room and work it out. we are eager to be able to do that. we are eager to be able to time to get it open and again and honor the individuals across the country. >> i spent this morning meeting about 100 kansas people who had taken to fly to the nation's capitol and visit their museum. their memorial, the world war ii memorial. i had one 92-year-old fellow say why would someone try to stop us from seeing our own memorial? i thought, he's right. no one should be trying to prevent those people. that monument was build in their honor to honor their sacrifice and service. the people behind me, house republicans, are determined to open up our parks and memorial to keep the government running. unfortunately, we can't act

unilaterally. today harry reid and democrats have slammed the door on having a discussion about how to keep open. i think that's a shame and the american people need to call upon senate democrats to come to the table and work with them. >> there's only one group that we owe most of our thanks and gratitude and prosperity. that's the veterans of world war ii. there was an anomie memorial in their honor. for a group of 91 plus veterans in their 80s and 90s to step off the bus from traveling all the way from the state of mississippi to be met with barricades and police line is un-american. it's dispickble. i want to thank leadership for recognizing and listening to

their plea to open up the memorial but not just for world war ii but all citizen. it belongs to them. tounge thank them for addressing this. let our vets in. >> are three weeks ago there was three buses that came from western pennsylvania. i was able to take them to the wreath at the tome of the unknown soldier. when you see their faces. we had two world war ii face. not tears of sadness but remembrance. i would like, you the country, we to know something. we never went to any wars of these just republicans or just republican democrats. we went as americans. these properties belong to the american people. they do not belong to a political party. there is no reason to ever shut those folks frat that. as i look back at my life. could you ever script a play a or a movie that featured better times with better parents,

preachers teachers and the coaches than the years i grew up. they were world war ii people. their tears are -- tears of remembrance. to shut those down now. to put up barricades to keep them away from the greatest accomplishment. i'm glad leadership has put out there. we have to open it up. they are for all americans. it's a time of remember ran. we need to return to those great times. thank you. >> i'm richard hudson, a freshman from health care. i'm honored to be here to talk to you. the people of north carolina want us to get the government operating again. and the republicans in the house have taken a reasonable position. we believe that the all americans should be treated the same. we don't think special deals, 112 different exemghts given by the president.

exemption for -- blank blng if you disagree, as reid does, we saidlet talk about it. so far he said no. that's why we're in the middle of a shut down. let me say more specifically about the monument. it's despicable and mean-spirited. if anyone hasn't been here. it's open-air memorial. open 24-hours a day. 7-days a week. 365-days a year. the president decided to bring people off furlough to add bike racks so the the veterans can't have access. i went and visited with the heroes. i can tell you i'm proud that the men who faced down the bayonet of the japanese, who faced down the machine guns of the germans were not deterred by the bike racks and the park

police. thank you. >> >> reporter: why are you pushing for monuments to be open instead of head start for low-income children? >> that is coming as well. we're going to take every issue that is out there that we have agreement on, and put it on the floor. we'll pass the funding bill to go to the senate. but we were confronted with this very issue that the veterans flying in from around the country -- some of whom who may be old enough to think it's their last chance they can see the world war ii memorial. and my colleagues said were stopped because of the decision bit administration not to allow these heroes of ours to enjoy that memorial in place. it's very important that we join all together on this issue. because like so many others, we agree we ought to be funding this government. there ought to be federal employees returning to work. then we can sit down and discuss our differences like any

american could when they seek to resolve a problem. >> people -- the debate should be -- until october 17th. would your position be stronger. would you be in a better position if it continues? >> i think what we're trying to do is get the government open as quickly as possible. all it would take is realing we have a lot in agreement. we can pass them out of the house today. it we'll begin a process of bringing forward these bill. we can also discuss our differences. i think most americans believe as do we, neither side gets everything. there is room for us to talk, cooperate, and have a conversation, but this position is being taken by majority leader until the senate as well as the -- president will be no negotiations is not something i

think the american people would want. certainly we should be talking. >> last question! >> reporter: do you sport -- [inaudible] >> listen, all of us realize there's a lot of pain in this shut down. all of us have furloughed employees both in our district offices as well as up here. that is not something that is a pleasant thing to do as an employer. that's not something that is easy when so many of these individuals are counting on their paycheck to make the mortgages and get through the mud. we are looking to reopen this government so that we can see federal employees return to their jobs, and we can get on with the bids of discussioning where the differences are and resolving them. thankthank you very much. you agree on everything? [laughter] [inaudible] house republicans theld briefing earlier today on capitol hill.

at this hour, the house is planning a final vote on the bill aimed at reopening u.s. national parks and museums. they're in a series on the house floor. the final vote is coming up. watch live house coverage on c-span. while the house is in session, the senate gaveled out for the cay. -- day a little more than an hour ago. they spent most of the day come together floor to speak about the ongoing government shut down. they'll return live thursday at 10:30 a.m. eastern on c-span2. one of the reasons the chamber may have gaveled out a bit early today. they are currently at the white house meeting with president obama and house leaders on the way forward concerning the government shut down. if they have any remarks following the meeting we'll bring them to you live on c-span2. and flow back to capitol hill for a briefing with house minority leader, nancy pelosi. she and other democratic leaders spoke about the government shut down and what can be done to end it. this is 25 minutes.

[inaudible conversations] good afternoon, everyone.

today marx the second day that the federal government has been shut down at levels that are already -- that are unfair to the american people. the solution of this -- to this crisis is just to pass simple legislation that has passed the senate, and is the figure that the republican majority in the house have proposed for the funding. that is $986. we gather here to say we are willing to sign -- we're going sign this letter to speaker boehner asking that we have a vote on a clean funding resolution immediately so that government functioning can resume and americans can move on with their lives. [applause] we're asking the republicans in the house of representatives to

take yes for an answer. we believe that if they put their own bill with their own number on the floor, that it will pass. we will help them pasta -- help them pass that legislation. it's a specific proposal we are making to them. we are making it in the form of a letter to the speaker. i yield to mr. ohioer. >> thank you, leader pelosi. [applause] monday night the republicans shut down the peoples' government. they did so on unnecessary and entirely political motivation. the only way to end the shut down is for speaker boehner to put the senate's bill to open the government on the floor for a vote. it will pass.

the republicans piece mail approach is a waste of time. they are wasting more time today. it's a gimmick. it's a ploy. it's politics as usual. the senate will never take up these bills. and the president has already said he would veto them. he should. let -- let's reopen our government and go to con friday on the budget as we should have six months ago and find a long-term solution! [applause] that's what the american people deserve. that's what the american people expect. john baseballer, speaker of the house,let do the people's business and get their government open! i yield to my friend, the

assistant leader of south carolina. [applause] >> thank you very much. i thank you for yielding to me. i thank you, madam leader, for your leadership. this week the tea party republicans shut down the government because they refuse to accept the verdict of the american people, which was rendered last november. they shut down our government over implementation of several lays. -- laws. a position that fully ensures over 72% of american people oppose. now they're using patriotic heros and kids are cancer as pawns for their petty political game. our veterans should not be -- should not have to choose between receiving their benefits and educating their

grandchildren. this piece piecemeal approach of the tea party plan puts them in the position of picking winners and losers. that is not the way that we conduct business in this great country. i would like to quote one of my favorite republican presidents, abraham lincoln, who said, and i quote, "your purpose, plainly stated, you will destroy the government unless you be allowed to construe and enforce the constitution as you please. on all points in dispute between you and us. you will rule or ruin in all events. this is what my republican friends seem to be recklessly moving to in this partisan matter.

i call on the republican leadership to stop it and put our federal workers on the job of serving -- serving the american people and let's get on with the nation's business. with that, i would like to yield to our distinguished chair, mr. bah -- >> thank you. we all agree that rather than pitting veteran against children, rather than pitting cancer patients against seniors that our colleagues in the house of representatives should be about helping us build a stronger middle class and greating the jobs that our economy need. we urge our colleagues to put country before party and let us get to work. this is no way to run even the smallest business on main street. why should we run the largest economy in the world this way?

put yourself in the shoes of the average american family. put yourself in the shoes of the 800,000 americans who didn't have a chance to go to work today because the shut down of government. put your shoes in the american people and we'll reopen the doors of the go government. >> thank you, javier. americans pay their bill pay the taxes and get a reprieve from neither. congress' two basic fundamental things and responsibilities that have to carry through: passing a budget, and paying its bills. the republicans performing on

the floor of the house will gete what will get the government running for the american people again is passing a clean, continuing resolution. we that that opportunity. let's not leave this congress until we pasta clean resolution. [applause] there are enough votes on the floor of the house of representatives right now so we can go that floor behind us, vote on a clean budget at the republican's figure and reopen the government for america! we don't have to wait! it's not a matter if there are

so 10 republican, 120 republicans, or 30 republicans there's one republican. if john bainer allows the vote instead of pandering to the tea party this government will reopen. [applause] here is the letter, folks, this is the theater we are sending to speaker boehner today. we are telling him that 90%, at least, of the democrats are ready to vote. all we're asking him for is 10%. can he find one out of every 10 republican to stand up on the floor of the house and vote to reopen government? one out of 10-it will tall. the republicans have one out of 10 of the caucus willing to stand up to the tea party. i can tell you, there are 15 or 16 who have already said they are ready to vote. that we should end the games, get on the floor, and vote for a clean cr. we are asking those 16 republicans and we're going hold them accountable put your pen

where your promises are, sign this letter to your speaker of the house. let's get bipartisan, and let's get this government open again! we are ready! are they? [applause] let's vote now! [changed -- chanting] >> let me introduce the co-chair of the progressive caucus. we are united on this. the rest of the mode rate and the conservatives. we are united on wanting to reopen the government. the koa chair of the progressive caucus from minnesota. [applause] mr. boehner, let us vote! so we can reopen government and send 800,000 americans who serve the public interest every day back to their jobs so they can process those security checks, so they can make sure people get the wic checks and make sure americans live a quality life.

mr. boehner, let the congressman get back to the job! so they can do the work they want to do. they don't do it just for the money. they do it because they love this country! and they're looking for a chance to get back to service in this country. the fact is when the republican majority decided to shut down government, they didn't do it piecemeal. they shut everybody down at once. now they want to say we'll let you come back because it makes us look bad to keep you out. it's not good thing for certain things to be happening. we'll bring a few back to serve our public relations and interest. but the bottom line is, we need to bring everybody back. we need to bring them back now! we need them back now! we can do it within 20 minute,20 minute from now the government could be open! mr. boehner, hear our plea!

give us a vote! [applause] now, my dear friend fighting for the veterans all over this country. my good friend from minnesota. give it up for him, everybody. >> thank you, folks. my constituents across southern minnesota, like all americans, say that are sick of this. it's ridiculous. i would have never believed supervising the high school lunchroom would be a skill set. it's not that difficult. you've heard it from my colleagues. the longer it goes on you pit american against american. last night a despicable thing start to happen. starting to screws the veteran as a pawn. they gave us govern mans. the way you honor them you make it work. they don't want to be pitted against their neighbor or singled out. they want to do their job and have the promises made to them and their finally full billed.

by leaving them behind and putting them in to this disrespects everything they fought, stood, and died for. while you find a lot of folk around here that want to preach the sermon of patriotism, duty, honor, country, every once awhile you'll find a person that lives the sermon. i would like to introduce my colleague from illinois, tammy duckworth. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. >> i owe a debt far more important than any political party. i have been fighting fur our military men and womens and vet for too long. to allow anyone to exploit them in a political brawl. and what we're doing at the world war ii me memorial with our greatest generation the heros that serve democracy by

using them as a pawn is shameful. my father was a world war ii veteran, he lays at rest in arlington right now. he would be ashamed we were using his generation political gain. so i was incredibly disappointed that the majority has attempted to use veterans of political pawn. the bill last night was not to support our nation's heroes. in fact, it cut more than $6 billion in funds in a budget that already passed. shame on the people who would return our veteran's service with a $6 billion cut at the time when the fee -- need for veteran service couldn't be greater. my constituent deserve service from and access to government. i urge the house leadership to end the shut down today by passing a clean cr. let's get together to conference

on a long-term budget that addresses deficit reduction, creates job, and supports our cell cell phone -- veterans and military men and women. [applause] >> i am so proud to yield to leader pelosi. >> thank you very much, tammy duckworth. [applause] i know our colleagues to salute tim, the highest ranking commissioner ever to serve in the congress of the united states. [applause] aren't we proud of their service to our country? >> people have said why can't you comprise? we have been for dais and weeks. saying to the republican leadership we are willing to make an explicit offer to you to support your number.

of 896. a number -- excuse me eu6r9. a number that t support. but in the interest of comprise, and going to the table and six weeks we're willing to support that. aren't we, my colleagues? god bless them. it's the land of the freep and the home of the brave. many serve our country as federal employees, as federal contractors, many of them are parents, grandparents, family members, all of whom are effected by this shut down. not only are they cutting the billion of dollars out of the built we already passed in june for our veterans, they are making matters worse for their families in the other men of the station of the life of our country.

one thing for sure that we owe our veterans, is build a future worthy of their sacrifice. to build future worthy of our veteran's sacrifice. we must open up government. we're making an explicit offer once again to the speaker. we'll take your number to go to the budget table. we want a vote to open government. please receive our letter with the respect we extend to you on as the speaker of the house. the entire house. let call for a vote to open government. that's with we're here to do. we are ready. thank you. [applause] [chanting] >> now the person -- the person who is going to wrap up for us is a person who has taken the lead on the budget over and over again. we are proud of this leadership chairman -- well, ranking member of the

budget committee chris van hol lane. >> thank you. our message is very simple and very clear. mr. speaker, let the salespeople's house work its will. why are you afraid of a little democracy in the house of representatives? as our colleagues have said, if we simply have a vote on the clean continuing resolution to keep the government open, it will pass! so why would the speaker not allow a vote in the people's house. who is he listening to? he is listening to senator cruz, and the most reckless irresponsible element of the tea party. they are dictating policy in this country right now. what we're asking the speaker is allow us to have a vote. now, later today they're going have a vote on just the national institute of health.

i have the great privilege of representing the congressional -- district that is home to the national treasure. it's home to scientists who are doing important work on trying to find new treatments and new cures for people throughout this country indeed people throughout the world who have been plagued by those disease z. they're not republican scientists, they're not democratic scientists. but they are like all scientists. very smart people. they have been calling me and saying, are you kidding? who does the speaker think he's going fool? because if you really want to help the folks at the national institute of health you could it in the hex half hour. you could do it right now by passing a clean cr. they can't quite figure out how it helps the folks to send a bill back over to the senate

when you can send one right now to the president of the united states who is waiting down pennsylvania avenue to sign that bill. you know what else they say? not only it would be the west thing for national institute of health, but we care about our kids' education. we want to make sure that's open again. we care about our veterans and want to make sure we fund those veterans. so they're saying -- if they think we're fooled by this, they got another thing coming. i know the american people aren't going to be fooled. mr. speaker, don't try to fool the american people. let us have a vote! [applause] thank you, all. [applause] thank you all very much.

[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] house minority leader nancy pelosi, another democratic leaders held the briefing earlier today at the u.s. capitol. a live look at the white house where right now congregation leaders are meeting with president obama on the government shut down and what can be done to end it. if the leaders have any remarks follow thing the meeting, we'll bring those to you live on c-span2. the we've got a facebook poll available on the current situation. the question: who do you think is responsible for the current fiscal stalemate.

we have heard from more than 10,000 of you. add your voice to the poll and add your thoughts and comments at facebook.com/c-span. while the shut down continue. here is a few tweets from member of congress. nancy pelosi says on floor right now. republicans have a chance to end the g.o.p. shut down and reopen the government for the american people. they should take it. oklahoma senator tom co burn tweets the fact we have to have a cr says we haven't done our jobs. fact that cr is $380 billion over budget control cap is even worse. the true toll of the needless exercise is just beginning to be felt. next we take you to capitol hill for briefing with senate democrats on the impact of the government shut down on workers. we'll begin with remarks from maryland senator ben cardin. it's 40 minute.

>> good morning. i want to thank my colleagues for joining me today, senator mikulski, senator wanner, senator boxer. senator mccain is with us in spirit. he's hosting an important event today. i particularly want to thank our federal employees that are here who would prefer to be at work today but have been furloughed for being -- joining us to talk firsthand about what the shut government -- down of government means. on october 1, if congress hasn't passed a budget. that's the regular order. that's what the united states nate did. and sending that resolution over

to the house of house of representatives. duty reckless behavior of the republicans in the house they refuse to allow a a vote on the resolution we passed over. as a result of the republican's actions we have a government shut down. this government shut down is hurting. it's hurting our economy and there have been a lot of projections about the impact it has on our economy. $15 million a day lost in my own state of maryland. it's hurting the taxpayers, the last shut down was estimated to cost the taxpayers $2 billion. it's hurting vital services and there's been a whole lit any of vital services not able to be provided as a result of shut down. it's hurting our federal workers. over 800,000 have been furloughed as a result of the government shut down.

my state of maryland it's estimated 124,000 employees furloughed and not allowed to come in. only it's -- obviously it's hurting individuals as well as hurting our local economy and our national economy. these are real people -- they're not numbers. you hear the numbers but real peoples' lives have been affected by this government shun down. let me introduce one of those individuals. a federal employee for eight years. budget analyst at the substance abuse and mental health service administration. lives in maryland, works in rockville, maryland. part of the 90% of his agency that has been put on furlough.

marcello? >> my name is marcello. i work for sampsa as you've heard. having been a budget analyst my job has been to ensure the grants and contract we fund that provide the vital services for people who suffer from mental illness and sexual abuse disorders is funded. as a budget ability list, i did not have this in bucket to be furloughened. my wife is also a federal employee. she's also furloughed inspect has a devastating impact. i don't need to tell you, to have both of us furloughed right now. the job that we do is very important, and there's million of people that need our services that cannot receive those services today. i speak for myself and my colleagues when i tell you we need to get it worked on. we need to get back to work. we need do it now. this has gone on long enough. we need get back to work and provide the services that these

people need and depend on us to provide. please, end this and get us back to work. >> senator barbara mikulski, the chair of the senate appropriations committee. and my colleague from maryland. >> we are on the second day of a government shut down because of slam down politics. we need to reopen the federal government. the house need to act. they need to pass the resolution takeup and pass the legislation sent by the senate that strips a continuing funding resolution of all politically mote -- motivated riders. have a continuing funding resolution for the next sick weekses -- six weeks so we can resolve our fiscal differences, reopen government, keep americans' government working so other

people can be working, and keep our people safe and secure. we call upon speaker boehner, let your members vote! on the senate legislation. yes or no. if you vote yes, we can move forward. if you vote no, let's take another look tat. let get the job done! there are people all over who are federal employees who have been furloughed. 800,000 americans well-trained, well-educate who show up every day to keep america working so america can be safe, secure, and also meet compelling human need. in my home state. we see it. we see it at the national institute of health. 71% of the people are furloughed! these are the people who come to

work every day and they range from the great researchers within md and ph.d.es to lab technicians who are gs7 and 9s making $35,000 to the facility managers -- congressional leaders have just finished a meeting with president obama at the white house to discuss the government shut down. first up to brief reporters, speaker john boehner. control the white house and senate. republicans control the house. we sent four proposals to our democrat colleagues. they rejected automatic of them. we asked for a conference to resolve our difference. they don't want -- they will not -- negotiate. we had a nice conversation, a polite conversation, but at some point we have to allow the process that our founders gave us work out. we have appointed con free on the house side to work with the senate colleagues.

it's time for them to appoint conferee. all we're asking for is a discussion, and fairness for the american people under obamacare. i wish -- i would hope that the president and my democratic colleagues in the senate would listen to the american people and sit down and have a -- serious disughts about resolving these discussions. [inaudible conversations] >> reporter: why not spring up a clean cr? [silence] if there are on the government shut down, we'll bring that to you live. let go back to senate democrats

having a briefing on the impact of the government shut down on workers. >> in october. she, with her two master's degrees, two master's degrees to be able to get the job she has should be standing right now at her computer model making it better. making them more efficient so know what is coming our way so we won't be swept away. she feels swept away by the act of her own government. i want amy to tell her story. in listening to her, you're listening to hundreds of federal employees every day who worked hard to get the job they have so they could work hard for america. we need to work that hard to reopen government. amy, come on up and tell your story. it's quite, quite poignant. my name is amy i work for the national weather service as

meteorologist. as she said i have two master's degree, one in models, one in full-time oceanography. that would be most qualified for the position. i have built and developed the mogd that predict storm search from events like sandy that hit us last october and in the heart of many of us. and yet, i'm not able to do my job. i'm furloughed. i can't go work. so something should happen during the rest of our hurricane something, i'm like the rest of the americans furloughed and unable to did their job. we're making critical improvement to those models. we want to get back to work. my education didn't come free. i have student loan debt to the sound of $130 ,000. i've got pay them back! i owe this money for the fine education. i choose it because i believe in our mission. we are here to save lives and protect property. i'm proud to be a civil servant for that nation. i want to get back to work, like all of my colleagues who work

for the weather service and furloughed inspect my facility we had eight babies born in the last two years. imagine all of those young families with both parents as federal employees. furloughed! i speak for all of the national west virginia -- weather service. let us get back to work. let us go back to work so we ask serve you. we are leaving the recorded briefing to take you live to the white house where congressional leaders are leaving a meeting with president obama on the government shut down. my understanding that democrats want negotiate. but the speaker has to accept his yes for an answer. had said he wanted to go conference. he sent us something from the house he wanted to go to conference. i thought we would throw him a lifeline, yes, we'll going con

-- conference. we go to a lit any of things we're happy to talk about or anything else we'll be happy to talk about. we'll be happy to talk about discretionary spending. we'll talk talking about ature, we'll talk about parks, health care, we'll talk about anything you want to talk about. he said no, all i want to do is go to conference on a short term cr. we have the debt ceiling staring us in the face he wants to talk about a short term cr. i thought they were concerned about the long-term fiscal affair of this country. and we said we are too. let's talk about it. my friend, john boehner, i repeat, cannot take yes for an answer. >> thank you, mr. leader. on march 1st. it we saw many of you after we had a meeting in the oval office

with president obama. that the time, speaker boehner and leader mcconnell said they wanted to proceed on the budget discussion under the regular order a washington term, which means you pass a bill in the house, you pass a bill in the senate you duocon dprens. all of that was march 1st. before the end of the month the house and the senate both passed a bill. but the republicans resisted the regular order. for six months they have avoid going conference. now they come up with their suggestion of two -- 986 or 988. not enable government provide for the need of the american people. but nonetheless, having said

they stood on the step of the capitol today and made a solid, real, offer to the speaker of the house to accept his number, which they don't like and they don't respect. but for the purpose of opening up government and going to the next step. all we have to do is bring it up, pass it in the house, it connells to the president's desk. government is open. we go to the table as the leaders suggest on the budget and some of that discussion can be helpful in terms of addressing growth, deficit reduction, on how we duoforward on the debt ceiling. so we just have to find a way. we have to find a path they can go down. if they keep moving the goal post and won't even accept their own number of as leader said, if they don't take yes for an answer i can only conclude they

wanted to shut down government. that they think has a purpose for them. we know what that is. they want to overturn the affordable care act. that's not going happen. and frankly, that's not what the constitution had had in mind. if you don't like something, you threaten to shut down government. it's not that kind of a system. in any event, ever optimistic, because so much is at stake, i'm hopeful in the conversation we heard each other and that we'll be able to find a place to go as the leader suggests to the budget table six month after we were supposed to in order to discuss the budget that can be helpful. the next challenge is lessening the cet ceiling. it was a worthwhile meeting. i'm glad it was held. we -- as they said, some candid

discussions what did you say, mr. leader. we won't go in to that. the president of the united states was very, very strong, strong, stlong strong. this has never happened before. they can make all the historical analysis they want. it has never happened before where a political party would be willing to take the country to the brink of the financial disaster and say we're not going pay our bills. the president said he'll not stand for that. and we were. we said -- we'll be happy to work. i said happy to work with you, mr. mr. speaker within 0 way out. we're where we're at. we're not going to play the little games. all focused on obamacare. it's all it's about. ly tell each of you tonight,

they did the same thing to social security. they did the same thing to medicare. and they're trying to dot same thing to obamacare. obamacare is another social security. it's another medicare program. it's something that is signature issue of this administration. nancy pelosi and harry reid worked hard to get it done. we're happy it's done. the one thing we made very clear in that meeting, we are locked in tight on obamacare. [inaudible conversations] i believe based on we have seen the performance of the tea party-driven, cruz-lead house now -- it's no longer in the senate. it's now in the house. i think that it looks like these

people are ledded where they want to go. michele bachmann said finally we're where we wanted to be. we have closed down the government. she's not alone. >> let me just say the next about the meeting. that's the following. i think there's certain principles or attitudes that we should have. i'm not saying we agree to this in the meeting, but i'm just saying for the good of the order and confidence of the american people we should take the debt ceiling debate off the table. the united will honor the full, faith, and credit of our country. no president should be held hostage to that for a social or other agenda. solet just take that off the table.

it's a combination of that and the debt ceiling is beyond cataclysmic. we have to think about what we are doing and what the -- take it off the table. it's not going to. secondly, secondly, every bill that ever passes in the congress is subject to another bill passing in the congress to amend it. and so they don't like certain aspect of the affordable care act, they have every opportunity in the majority, especially, to bring anything to the floor to make whatever changes they want. but that should not be something that is a threat to whether government is open or the full, faith, and credit. so take -- the debt ceiling off the table. recognize that any bill that has passed enacted in to law can be changed under the regular order. but don't confuse the two.

[inaudible conversations] >> did the speaker say he won't bring a crshes r to the floor? >> i won't go in to -- i don't know why they haven't accepted their own number. we stood on the step of the capitol over 100 members, as i said, with the support of the other members of the caucus to say we're making a firm offer to the speaker, as i have done to him privately over and over again, that we will accept the 9 88. you know our members don't like the 988. most have dug their heels to say they will never support the 988. to open government, that opinion is a luxury we can't afford on the side of the democrats or the republicans. we are willing to comprise to accept their number. they had two things. 988 and over turn obamacare inspect isn't going to happen. we're willing to accept this. they shouldn't move to --

[inaudible conversations] >> >> reporter: can you tell me how long you expect the shut down continue after this meeting? [inaudible conversations] senate majority leader harry reid and nancy pelosi briefing reporters at the white house tonight following a meeting with barack obama on efforts to end the government shut down. and now we return to the capitol hill briefing with senate democrats on the impact of the government shut down on workers. >> they design and build and they help launch probes that explore the farthest reaches of outer space.

but instead of thanking these workers for the contribution to our nation, republicans in congress are holding them hostage to their extreme ideological demands. what names someone so angry they would shut down the government of the great estimation in the world simply because people, for the first time, are getting health insurance? [applause] how does that even make any sense? [applause] these workers, you've heard them, they have mortgages, they have rent, they have -- they have loans, student loans to pay. the shut down is hurting people. i have a lot of stories, i won't go in to them. you're hearing stories here. but the communities are being hurt as well. take, for example, travis air force base in california. more than 700 civilian workers have been furloughed at the base. many of these workers just got

finished enduring furloughs from the sequester. my colleague, marc warner, told you what he thinks of the sequester. he speaks for us. this is a major economic blow to the county. you may not know the county. but it's not far from san francisco, but it has its own economy. and travis air force base is the main mover of that e main mover of that economy. then you go to mountain view, which is also south of san francisco. that is is closing the entire ames research center. fur loying more than 1,000 employees in los angeles. workers of hud has been sent off the job. let's talk about national parks. my state has some of the most spectacular national parks. we already know nationwide 21,000 park employees are being

furloughed. and the communities surrounding the parks are being robbed 76 million a day in visitor. they have to close their gates, turn families away, furlough the park rangers. imagine a family that saves up, not for a year but probably more, to visit yo yosemite when you stand on the floor you think you're in heaven. many of you saw the picture of the terrible wind fire. wiz around yosemite are reeling. i'm going quote from a small business person, quote, we just dealt with the rim fire and how awful it was said linda. who runs the hotel charlotte in california. it's very devastating for small businesses here that count on this season to make some money to carry them through. laura jen zen, who falls the

coffee shop was even more blunt. t going to hurt us. we might not survive the winter. why are we inflicting pain on the people of america? speaker boehner, open up this government and do it now. now i want to introduce steve hopkins, who work at the office of pesticide, an agency dear to my heart. environmental protection agency. listen to what he does. he works on collaborative partnerships between the epa, federal agencies, and private entities. their goal is to reduce the use of pesticides by promoting other meths -- methods to address pest. people say how can we reduce the use of pesticide and go to better mained? he has served our nation and try to protect public health for 25 years. i'm proud of you, and the origin do you. and we're going do everything to get you back on the job. we welcome steve.

[applause] thank you. i'm steve hopkins. i'm an employee of the environmental protection agency. i came to the district ten years ago to work on a pelosi side environmental stewardship program. we're have a turn to protect human health but also improve live and people. and working with industry to reduce cost and do it right. my message is very, very simple. i came here to do a job that congress mandated that congress asked me to do. all i want to do is be to be do my job, all of my colleagues want to do is do the job you brought us to here to do. do it well, and serve the american people the way we were brought here to do. i appreciate your support, and i hope question get back to work soon. we just now coming off a

furlough of six days at epa. many of us are reeling from the economic shock. on average it was 2500 or more a piece that supposedly went in to reduce deficit. this comes up on top of that. every time we turn around we're being hit by some other uncertainty after we have the uncertainty of the budget crunch. wealth have a debt ceiling followed by something else followed by something else. i want to thank our fellow workers for what you do every day for our country. it dealing with the health care needs of our service. predicting the weather which is

important today. we know what can happen. the science that leads some so much of our technology in this country and dealing with the protection of our environment. you're on the front line. i mu tell you, you're not responsible for the problems of this country, yet you have endured three years of pay freeze and furlough under screes ration. you have endured hiring freezes. they have do more with less. and you're the victim of the government shut down along with the economy of our country. our first objective is to get back to work. to dot important work on behalf of the american people. we have also filed -- i'm proud of my colleagues here have joined us in legislation that will hold our federal workers through this shut down so they'll get the full pay during the period of time. that's the least we can do when we reopen the federal

government. we are going continue -- [applause] we're -- it's very simple. we can open up government with literally one action today. that's speaker of the house bringing forward resolution that the united states senate passed and does that we are confidence there are the votes in the house of representatives to pass it and government will reopen and we will allow the nation to get the service they desperately need. that's our objective. >> we'll try to answer questions related to the federal work force. >> and senators who feel the same way. >> we have the government shut down in the '90s there was included in the legislation enacted. it was contentious back then. it's the right thing to do. we have bipartisan support for the legislation. we're proud that congressman one

of the cosponsors and congressman withman. we believe it's the right thing to do, and that when we finally get the house of representatives to do the right thing in opening up government they'll recognize the incredible work that the people today who demonstrate their importance for their country. >> carter told me earlier that they're doing the same work they did -- even though the bucket has gone up. what a morale killer. they didn't cause this shut down. i'm a business guy. you want to keep the work force engaged. these federal workers deserve to be paid. when the shut down is over.

[applause] >> reporter: why not reopen -- [inaudible] >> we need to reopen the entire federal government. [applause] each one of these agencies throughout the functioning of the federal government perform a needed and essential service. so to talk about piecemeal, what the house is proposing is not even opening an agency, but opening one part of an agency. so let's open the national parks, they say. but they don't say let's open the department of interior for particularly where there are the people who fight fire. they do other important things at interior. when they talk about opening the va keeping the va open.

the va is going to be opened. it's at reduced services. but the va -- the veterans need other services. those veterans that broke the line yesterday to be able to see a memorial for world war ii want to see their government work! they want to see their grandchildren be able to go to a head start program! they want to see their wife have an access to breast cancer treatment! they want their government open! not just a memorial. we need a memorial to the future , what is with a we're doing right here. you wanted your weather open. a piecemeal approach doesn't deal with the issue. it's an illusion. it is about implying there's something. what they need to do is pass a continuing funding resolution we

recommend for six weeks to get our fiscal solution setsed. our resolution doesn't -- it's at fiscal' 13. he can go this. overpolitical ideology. fighting other bills that were passed four years ago we need to get the job done. we want the congress to work as hard as they do for the taxes they send us. open the entire government! [applause] one of the things i would like to add is this: the republican say, wow, they won't dpriez with us. demeaning the democrat. guess what? we accepted their numbers. we're not happy with their numbers. their number -- the tbhurnlgts -- the budget numbers --

we accepted their lower budget numbers on this short term cr. this isn't something senator mikulski wants. this isn't something senator murray want. we accepted it. it wasn't enough for them. they had to take the country hostage. i think it's an important point when they keep saying we haven't comprised. we comprise on the main issue involved in a continuing resolution. the funding level. why not put some of the constituents back to work that's better than nothing? >> so you to open the entire government. [applause] you have to open the entire government. [applause] this is a employ. they'll do it agency by agency. i want to talk about a famous traffic jam that ben cardin and i are well aware

the traffic jam occurs in maryland. why is there a traffic jam? because you have two agency across the strait from one another doing an incredible work. one side of the street this neighborhood -- we even have a military medical school. on the other side of the street it's a national substitute of -- institute of health. under what the republican want, we should keep it open. and of course, it's open today. there are other aspects that are furloughed. but across the street, at n irk h, where they're actually working on many things they'll be need. 71% of the furloughed what does it mean? we are one nation indevisible under got. we need to have one government opening to show we're doing the job to keep one nation. [applause] open the government.

>> all we're saying is even if you don't like your idea, volt on it! of the house of representatives and let them vote! for keeping federal government open for the next six weeks, and continue funding levels for fiscal 2013. so question face the larger fiscal issues of erk why. let the house vote! reopen the federal government! [applause] thank you very much.

[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] congressional leaders met with president obama at the white house for just over an hour this evening. that meeting breaking up a short time ago. "politico" writes they appear no closer to ending the government shut down. the house speaker, john boehner, described the meeting as quote, nice conversation, polite conversation, but obama refused to negotiate on the budget and

the debt ceiling increase. we'll keep updated on republicans, democrats, and the white house as things happen here on c-span two. up next we've got a facebook poll on the government shut down. the question: who do you think is responsible for the current fiscal stalemate? we've heard from more than 10,000 of you. you can leave your thoughts and comments at facebook.com/c-span.

get all those americans back to work. pass a continuing resolution that will get our government open again and get our economy moving forward. that is the most important thing we can do. our job when we get elected to congress is to make things work and to help americans thrive and prosper. and so we understand that and we are prepared as members of the

house of representatives to do exactly that. one of the areas where we believe that we can help our economy, we can help our national and quite honestly or neighborhood security is to finally fix our broken immigration system. and not only do we believe that fixing our broken immigration system will be good for our economy good for security and good for american families, we believe it actually is a wonderful element in resolving this budget and fiscal fight that we have. because we have been told by any number of credible sources including the congressional budget office that congress is nonpartisan fiscal referee on what happens to our economy and what costs money and what doesn't cost money when we prepare legislation. cbo has told us if we were to fix her broken immigration system we would add to our gross

domestic product substantially. we would help reduce deficits to the tune of close to a trillion dollars over the next 20 years by fixing a broken immigration system so we are all here together to say this. the time is now to pass comprehensive immigration reform and we know that today the votes exist in the house of representatives to complement, to match our senate colleagues and pass a bill that does exactly that, fixes our broken immigration system including providing a path to legal residency and ultimately to citizenship to millions of people who remain in this country. we want to tell our colleagues in the house republicans and democrats, that we are ready to move. we stand here telling you we are ready to move and we believe we are going to have any many supporters of this legislation. we hope it's a bipartisan level of support but we are ready to move and we want to prove to our

republican colleagues that we are ready to move with them by presenting a bill that will be not just a democratic dream come true but a bill that has proven to get bipartisan votes in the senate and house. our legislation would combine some of the elements of what the senate bid in getting a bipartisan bill passed combined with what we did in the house of representatives and the homeland security committee in a bill that passed on a bipartisan basis unanimously on border security and prove to the american people that if we put that forward as a piece of legislation we can get it done. we are held -- here to tell the american people we are ready ready to work and pass conference of immigration reform and we know the time is now and with that i would like to yield to the leader of the house democratic caucus, nancy pelosi. >> thank you very much mr. chairman for your leadership on this very important matter

for our country. it's not an issue. it's of value and an ethic. it's about restoring confidence in who we are as a people by and large a nation of immigrants with all respect and love for a native american brothers and sisters. and so i'm very pleased to salute you for the work that has been done to put together legislation that is 100% bipartisan. the senate bill put in mccaul thompson and go forward. every piece of this legislation has had bipartisan support. that was important to us. we wanted bipartisan support and we wanted unity in our caucus. the time is now to make a difference. we believe that every newcomer to our country brings his or her hopes aspirations dreams and determinations for a better future for his or her family makes america more american by

subscribing to that spirit of optimism that is our country. so i'm pleased to be here with their leadership steny hoyer mr. clyburn and mr. becerra and mr. crowley and in so many members of our caucus but we are all here to listen to the co-sponsors of the legislation, the original co-sponsors suzan delbene jared polis judy chu horsford and a member of the judiciary committee who will talk to us from a perspective as to why the time is now and let's get a vote on a bipartisan bill for comprehensive immigration reform that is bipartisan, that is bipartisan. mr. garcia. >> thank you madam leader. i would like to first thank my colleagues for working together to put forth this comprehensive

immigration reform bill. in the past few years americans across the country sent a message in that message was loud and clear. we want comprehensive immigration reform. it was heard in the senate and unfortunately that message has not been heard in the house. the reality is -- [laughter] but the reality is we need to move forward and we need to take up a bill. the only way immigration reform can pass is if republicans and democrats worked together towards a compromise. that is why today we are not introducing the perfect bill but we are introducing a comprehensive reform bill that provides that space, that takes the very hard and tough work was done in the senate and then takes the very detailed and specific work that was done in the house. we put them both together. we have taken out very

controversial -- which i think everyone understood had opposition not only from elements of the democratic party but very strong opposition from members. republicans like ronald reagan to george bush to -- a champion immigration reform there's no reason why a republican colleagues cannot follow their lead and footsteps to pass comprehensive immigration bill. i'm going to do this in spanish real quick. i want to show off to the speaker. [laughter] [speaking spanish] [speaking spanish]

[speaking spanish] [speaking spanish] [speaking spanish] was that i have the pleasure of introducing congresswoman judy

chu who has done a lot of work at this. she is the chairman of the pacific asian caucus and serves as a member of the judiciary committee with me. judy. >> thank you. i am proud to be an original co-sponsor of this house comprehensive immigration bill. it is long overdue and the need is great. that is why in june of this year more than two-thirds of the american state senate democrats and republicans voted for comprehensive immigration reform it has been three long decades since we have reformed our immigration laws. three long decades in which our backlogs expanded dramatically separating families for years. three long decades where undocumented immigrants became vulnerable to exploitation in the shadows of our society and three long decades where dreams

students were denied their rightful place in the only nation they called home. consider this. an immigrant who came here from the philippines cannot bring her children here to join her. her kids were infants when she became a citizen in 1996. she has been waiting 17 years to unite with them but has been told that it will be at least 21 years before that could be even possible. these stories are extremely common in the asian pacific-american community where outdated immigration system tears families apart. asian-pacific americans make up over 40% of the 4.3 million individuals caught in our current immigration backlog. the senate bill is not perfect as with any compromise important provisions were lost in the give-and-take of negotiations. for instance, that the senate bill phases out the sibling

category a major priority for the asian-pacific american community. but it does allow for an 18 month grace period for u.s. citizens to petition for their siblings and more importantly it illuminates the current immigration backlog within eight years bringing families together much faster than what they experienced today. and there are many other benefits that bring families together including the reunification of family members with their legal permanent residents. the fact is if you asked all 435 members of congress their idea of a perfect immigration bill you would get 435 different answers but we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good the bill we introduced today includes bipartisan measures that passed both the senate and the house. that is why we should pass this comprehensive package. i urge my colleagues to join us

in solving this immigration crisis. and now it is my pleasure to introduce the congress member from nevada steve horsford. >> good afternoon. i am proud to be here today with all of my colleagues as a cochair of the congressional caucus task force on immigration to support giving immigration reform done now and i want to commend their leadership led by leader pelosi and german becerra and their their leadership for their steadfast commitment to making comprehensive immigration reform a priority. we have come a long way on this issue. we have made progress and we are not turning back with the finish line in sight. i have said it before and i will say it again. comprehensive immigration reform is the civil and human rights issue of our time and i'm proud to be on the right side of history and to propose legislation to fix the current

row can immigration system. that is why we are here, because there is a broad and diverse coalition that understands how serious this is. there is a broad coalition that understands that we cannot let obstructionism kill commonsense proposals to fix our broken immigration system. we can pass comprehensive immigration reform. it is possible. that is why we are introducing a legislative solution that should have bipartisan support. i am supporting this because in my district, the district that my colleague congresswoman represents and nevada we have dreamers who if we fail to act will continue to live in the shadows. we have to get this right for those who are here at no fault of their own who have families here who know this country rightfully as their country.

it is for dreamers in nevada like holland who want to know that the country they call home will treat them not as second-class citizens that accept them as the true americans that they are. he applied for deferred action one year ago today. she has country but it's so much to this country into our community and nevada. in my mind we have only met her halfway. we need to get this done for people like her all across this country. and for people in the african asian and caribbean immigrant areas as well and many others come to that is what we are doing here today and that is why we will get this done. so today we ask our house republicans, no more waiting. now is the time to get this done. this is a legislative solution that has bipartisan support and i'm proud to join my colleagues today to call on the leadership

in the house to bring this bill to the floor and to pass comprehensive immigration reform now. i would like to introduce my colleague suzan delbene from washington's first district. >> we have the historic opportunity to fix our nation's broken immigration system and to help families are businesses and our economy. i'm a member of the judiciary committee the agriculture committee and the new democrat and immigration reform is critical to the people and the economy by district but also across this country. my district in washington state is representative for why we need reform. the northern border with canada we have an incredibly diverse economy with rich agriculture dairy farms in the northern part of my district and rich technology, innovative tech companies like microsoft and google all the way to nintendo

bear by a medical device and countless startups. these businesses large and small have been making a strong case to congress that fixing our immigration system is a top priority. this year i've held numerous roundtables across my district and i've heard from dreamers and immigrants farmers tech businesses and their workers and everyone agrees we need a comprehensive approach to fixing our broken system. we can't settle for a piecemeal approach. our immigration system is too complicated. it has many moving parts and if we just wait policy in one place we will impact another area and create unintended consequences so for example my farmers are struggling to find a stable skilled and reliable workforce and they have told me an enforcement only approach does not work. it punishes the workers businesses and our economy. a piecemeal approach also doesn't help farmworkers who are forced to live in the shadows and trying to figure out how to build a life for themselves and their families.

a comprehensive approach is the best way to fix our system so it helps our farmers and farmworkers. the bill we are introducing today reflects an important agreement which by a diverse coalition of agricultural business leaders including the western farmworker groups about how to reform the immigration system so it's there for farmworkers and their farmers and insuring our economy is vibrant in the 21st century means we must wear immigration reform will be key to providing that economic engine but for my district and across the country. whether an ultrasound manufacturer who needs an engineer of videogame developer looking for a modeler companies in my district are extremely in need of specialized high-skilled workers. we have to ensure that they can stay here to become afterburners the future that will start in a companies to support ongoing research that will lead to the next future breakthrough in we must do all of this and understand we compete in the a

global marketplace for talent. this bill makes changes to our current system streamlining the system for entrepreneurs to come to the u.s. and build businesses that create jobs for americans. immigration reform under this bill will encourage companies to locate invest and expand right here in the u.s.. finally this bill also has increase protections for american workers so they aren't displaced and provisions to fight fraud and abuse in the system. these are the reasons why we have seen tremendous support for comprehensive immigration reform print our agriculture employers faith leaders law enforcement in the broader american public who all agree that passing comprehension -- comprehensive immigration reform is the right thing to do for a country and our economy and the urge all of my colleagues to look closely at the spill and to lend their support. now it's my honor to introduce someone who's been leading immigration reform the effort by the new democrats and our congressman from colorado jared polis.

[speaking spanish] immigration truly is the economic engine that has grown our economy for generations and what better time than amid the partisan dysfunction in d.c. to show that we can come together around bipartisan solutions around an issue that is so important for our country and for our future. for years we have heard from people across the political spectrum about the need to pass immigration reform from the business community from the faith community from organized labor to farmworkers to high-tech companies, to families in my district that have been torn apart over a taillight

being out or a speeding ticket. this legislation not only unites families but it helps me chimeric a more competitive. the legislation raises the visa cap on h-1b skilled workers for maybe 5000 to at least 115,000 increased a better investor visa program to help raise capital and create jobs. he creates a program to ensure that the next great companies are based here in america and implying americans while looks ending worker protections and the ability to switch jobs. our bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform creates american jobs and ensures we are more competitive in the global economy lowers the deficit and reflects our values as americans. the economic benefits are enormous. our bill we are introducing today will decrease the federal budget deficit by $135 billion over the first decade and almost a trillion dollars over the following decade. this package will enjoy the support of democrats and

republicans. major components were supported by two-thirds of the united states and in the border security provisions were passed unanimously democrats and republicans by the house homeland security committee showing that we are truly dedicated to ensuring the security of our border. delaying consideration of immigration reform is no longer an option. the time for action is now. it's time to pass comprehensive immigration reform. we will now go back to -- be we will take questions and we know their number of important issues going on right now but we will take any questions on immigration before you take questions on anything else. yes? >> why are you doing this now when the speaker has been incredibly clear that he will not accept it does not plan to put on the floor anything that resembles this bill? >> what we are putting forward is a bill that has received republican votes. several of my colleagues have

said it would on bill that would have gotten 200 democrats on it but do we chose to do was show we want to get this done now so we are putting together a bill that works, that has worked in the senate getting bipartisan bipartisan votes in that has worked in the house getting bipartisan votes and we know that there are a number of republicans in the house who are ready to vote for comprehensive fix toward broken immigration system. we want them to see that we are serious about reaching out to the republican conference and saying let's get this done. there's no reason to wait and i would like to add this as a product -- you see the numbers -- members here. i want to tip my hat tour leader nancy pelosi or whip steny hoyer our assistant leader jim clyburn our vice chairman joe crowley steve israel. >> chairman john conyers. >> the chairman from -- the ranking member from the

judiciary committee is here. we have several members from our various caucuses. the new democrats have been champions on this issue so what we are saying is on the democratic side we are ready and we hope our publicans many of whom -- over two dozen who have said will vote for a comprehensive bill can rally to no week and get this done and there's no reason to have this dysfunction. >> you are the only member of the so-called group of eight who is here. what does that mean for that bill? is that an alternative that would totally replace the dash apparently? >> that legislation which we have introduced is there. many of us i believe on a bipartisan basis believe that it could become the vehicle that we use in the house to get this done and so i think they they're still great anticipation and hope that the work that was done by the by parchin group of house members can still produce a --

to our immigration system. >> a guest worker immigration that you're bringing in basically 2 million people -- [inaudible] is there anyone in the democratic caucus who opposes the importation of so many workers? >> it has avenues to attract entrepreneurs who have raise capital to form countries. everyday companies are formed overseas and have to hire foreigners and other countries because they can't set up shops here. we improve the eb-5 program to attract capital to grow american jobs. every single company that produces a test to create for americans. so again the way this bill has been scored with the reductions in the deficit this bill is an enormous job creation engine for

the american people. >> let me ask the whip to respond because to me hoyer has the best sense of where democrats are on any issue that we would like them to respond. >> the democrats are overwhelmingly for this. this will create jobs and grow our economy and it will be a more vibrant economy than it otherwise would be. our friends in organized labor and business have both come together. farmworkers and farm managers have come together. this is a bipartisan search and this will grow the economy create jobs in net -- not take jobs away. >> right now there are two -- health care and immigration reform. which one is the weakest link between health health care and immigration reform? >> it's not a question of which

one. the health care is done it began yesterday. a healthier life liberty and freedom to pursue your happiness whether it's to be a cameraman start a business be self-employed or change jobs. we are very proud of that -- what happened yesterday and we have been doing immigration for a long time. i just want to make one comment that relates to a question that you asked. we were very hopeful that the gang of eight would produce legislation we could all get behind and waited for months for that to get the blessing of the republican leadership. when it appeared when we came back after august into september that might not happen members got together and said okay what can we put together that contains the bipartisanship that we must have and does the job? it doesn't do everything we would want to do but it does achieve bipartisanship which is essential to passing it. we waited for the gang of eight.

we graciously defer to the the speaker is to the timing comcast to the method whether it's one bill, two bills, one good time singly jointly whatever it is comprehensively and we are prepared to do what it takes to go to conference with a good bill that stops deportation and a path to citizenship. the timing relates to what hasn't happened and now we want to rally around as immigration reform. we think this is the best vehicle. >> we heard our colleague from colorado speak in both spanish and in english. i detected by your accent that was an irish accent so let me talk to my colleagues about this question. i knew there was a reason i was here. at the end of the day what democrats are saying is we are more prepared -- more than prepared to move forward. we are asking our republican colleagues to do the same.

we are prepared to talk about those issues and move forward in a comprehensive way and delivered for the american people. they have waited so long. the time is now to act and not to push this forward until next year. >> it was principally the work of the new democrats quite some time ago through the task person they had in charge of this that we were able to move together as democrats to come up with a bill that we thought not only would would -- democrats would attract republican support as well. i would ask mr. castro to speak. >> thank you mr. chairman and thank you for the artwork of all my colleagues who have been working on this issue for quite some time including some of the folks that are here. it's time the congress pass conference of immigration reform. the american people have spoken. they want this congress to take on this issue. i believe the congress is still up to taking on big challenges

and if we are honest with ourselves we realize that people from all across the political spectrum have come forward to support comprehensive reform with a path to citizenship. on the right you have the evangelical community who is preaching about it on sundays in their churches, the chamber of commerce which reached a historic agreement labor. a few months ago the president had a press conference where he had the head of the chamber of commerce and the head of the afl-cio standing next to each other. how many issues would you find that? that was very special. on the right in on the left with the immigration advocacy groups people from across the political spectrum want us to do this. if this doesn't happen there really is the failure of the house republicans to listen to the american people and take action. i'm excited about the prospect of the bill and excited to move forward. we are looking for rallies on october 5 and october 8 in washington. [inaudible]

>> we are looking at even with the government shutdown are the budgets close to each other? the immigration reform which has no deadline and it's not like -- [inaudible] >> let me just say that this is an issue that has strong support of the american public. that is what we think it can move forward. we think that there are 435 members in the house and 100 members of the senate who read read -- represent the american people and represent their interest and desires and their visions and this bill we think enjoys overwhelming support among the american public and that is why we think it has a probability of moving forward. the speaker hs