to the senate democratic leader harry reid and the senate republican leader, mitch mcconnell, forming a deal to raise the debt limit through february 7. >> this tweet from a viewer saying we are at a crossroads, if we don't wake up we'll miss the turnoff. from crn span chat. join in on the conversation, also weigh in on our faith-based -- faith-based -- facebook page. the senate on c-span2. and throughout the day, more of your calls and comments as the developments continue here in washington, d.c. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] the speaker: the house will be in order. our prayer will be offered today by our guest chaplain, reverend kurt gerhard, st. patrick's

episcopal church, washington, d.c. the chaplain: sovereign lord who binds all people of every nation together as one people, in this era of our country when we are defined by our differences and these differences cause a great chasm filled with distrust to exist between members of this house and between the branches of this republic, provide the wisdom to approach this session of the 113th united states congress with a herm newtic of generosity toward the motives of hermeneutic of generosity toward the mote is of those we don't agree with. allow this august body to serve the common good. help us be mindful of our unity and all nations and people now and forever. this we ask in your holy name,

amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his aproufl there have. -- approval thereof. pursuant to clause of rule 1, the journal stands aproved. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? mr. wilson: pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, i request a vote on the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it, the journal stands approved. mr. wilson: i make a point of order this a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: further proceedings on this question are postpone. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman from south carolina, mr. wilson. mr. wilson: please join in. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

the speaker: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one hin and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. broun: mr. speaker, america is at a crossroads. we have a decision to make. do we continue down the path of more government, more spending, more taxes and more borrowing, or do we stand up and fight for the ideals promoted by those who founded our nation and drafted our constitution? make no mistake about it, the current government shutdown and the looming debt crisis is the result of this administration and this senate's refusal to respect the honor and will of the american people.

we must stand up for our principles that lead to prosperity for all americans. less government, less spending. and the simple idea that delay og ba ma cair for one year is fair for all americans. and is worth fighting for. i urge our house leadership and my colleagues to stand strong and to have what many of my senate colleagues do not -- the courage to oppose any deal that does not defund and delay obamacare for all americans now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expire. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek reck necessary? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one hin. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> if the united states does not meet its obligations, the united states would default with a

profound impact on the global markets which are structured on the premise that u.s. treasury bonds are the safest asset in the world. mr. higgins: the stock market will tank and interest rates will spike. earlier this year, the house republicans passed a budget that spent $00 billion more than it took out. the logical consequence of that is to raise the debt ceiling. so for the other side to use america's national credit as leverage is shameful, as shameful as members protesting the closure of the world war ii memorial when they are the ones who voted to close it. austerity and uncertainty kill economic growth. there's not an example in human history where an economy has grown itself out of recession through austerity. move from crisis to cry sess as congress has done the last three years has cost the american economy 900,000 jobs. enough. reject austerity and uncertainty, open the government and pass the debt limit bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman

from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: last night i hosted a teletown hall with constituents if my district. apart from them calling on end ats in the senate to the shuttown, many expressed -- about the disastrous obamacare rollout. during its first week, 9.47 million visited the website but only 36,000 completed enrollment due to glitches. it's been called excruciatingly embarrassing for the white house and he hopes they fire some people who were in charge of making sure this thing is supposed to work. secretary kathleen sebelius has failed, spending hundreds of

millions of dollars. house republicans warned that the aaffordable, unsustainable health care law is not ready. the president has concurred by delaying key components. in co-cloon us -- in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorismle the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from vermont seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. welch: the house republicans have put the country through a spectacle based on the question of whether we have to pay our bills. mercifully, we are in the midst of a borne agreement whereby number one the affordable care act will be the law of the land and the debate in the future is not about its repeal, it's about improving it, facing the challenges of implementation.

and number two, we are repudiating as legitimate tactics to get your way by any faction, it could be democrats in the future, the use of tactics that do damage, threatening to default on our obligations and shutting down the government and inflicting pain on innocent people. so this struggle is -- has damaged the institution but the principles that were at stake are now resolved. one, the affordable care act is the law of the land. two, you cannot use the tactic of shutdown or the tactic of default as a way to get your way on your agenda. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i'd like to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you very much. i rise today because we've got a problem in the yeats of america. that is, we spend too much. -- the united states of america. that is, we spend too much. nobody on my side of the aisle

says let's not pay our bills, but we do say, like every family does when their credit card bill comes and it's higher than they expected, why don't we maybe cut up the credit cards or bring in more money. we can bring in more money with economic growth and development. mr. farenthold: things that are killing economic development like the president's health care plan must be stop. we've got to increase revenue by growing our economy. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: over the past 16 days, many of us have risen to this floor and pleaded with our friends on the other side of the aisle and asked for mercy. not mercy for our individual selves as members of congress but mercy for the american people. 800,000 over the past 16 days who have lost their jobs in furloughs, $300 million a day

that this nation has lost. this is the very answer to those who are suggesting that we're spending too much money, mr. speaker, we've lost money. but today i come, humbly, to plead with my friends to do as the chaplain mentioned this morning, have a generosity of spirit and recognize that we can come together. let the voices of commonsense recognize that states like mississippi, louisiana, arizona, south dakota, missouri, texas, new mexico, montana, georgia, new york, texas, and wyoming, states that represent so many, are losing so much because they get the most money from this nation. and then let us recognize juanita davis with litting tanita, 10 days old who is fearful her w.i.c. money, women, infant, and children money in the state of texas is running out. i'm pleading we come together with commonsense, generosity of spirit, we can do this. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentlelady is not in order. for what purpose does the

gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, once again, the g.o.p. has threatened the full faith and credit of the united states. rejecting all warnings from top economists and business leaders, some of my republican colleagues have actually claimed that default would be good for our economy. but the truth is, when you spin the g.o.p. wheel of misfortune, everyone loses. how would a g.o.p. default have deprived -- that deprived seen yoffers social security checks be good for the economy? . deutch: how would a g.o.p. economy that hurt ours relationships with other countries be good for the economy.

how could hiking interest rates on american families be good for our economy? how could stopping payments for doctors and nurses who care for medicare beneficiaries be good for our economy? the answer is, it can't be. the treasury can't peck and choose which commitments to honor, nor should it have to. when you spin the g.o.p. wheel of misfortune, there are only losers. americans are disgusted when reckless games are played with our economic future. be responsible, finally, today, vote to reopen the government and prevent default. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, the president's health care plan is broken. let me read from some of the letters and communications my office is getting from around my district. my -- mike and pat in queen anne's county writes, my daughter's health care premium

just rose $648 a year, thanks to the affordable care act. don't you or other republicans give up the fight. mr. harris: cindy writes, i just discovered i can't keep the medical insurance i've had for many years as it no longer exists, thanks to obamacare. even though i'm 58 years old i must pay for maternity benefits and pediatric dentistry when i have no child under 19. i get a premium encrease of $143 a month. what a mess that needs to be fixed and in a hurry. finally, lorraine writes that she called our office in tears, she was told by her insurer that her preem use was increased $256 a month. lt her total payment that she and her husband will pay is $956 a month. and her insurer told her it went up because of obamacare. mr. speaker, the president's health care plan is broken. i yield back the time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition?

>> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i stand before you on this, the 16th day of the shutdown with just hours remaining until our nation defaults. mr. barber: the only way to end this crisis is for members on both sides of the aisle to come together and take bipartisan action today. we need to do our job and we must act responsibly. the senate has a bipartisan plan and we should take it up immediately. at home and aross the nation, the people we represent are facing harsh consequences. from the couple being denied a loan for their first home, to the head start kids whose school doors are shut, to the businesses with lost sales because national parks are closed, to the border patrol agent who can't play his -- pay his mortgage because his full paycheck hasn't come.

mr. speaker, we must vote for commonsense solutions. we must end this shutdown. we must restore the faith in the united states of america. and we must restore faith in this, the people's house. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized for one minute. . >> we are all getting calls in our office as to the imbasket on obamacare. here's an example, this morning, female age 23 making below the d.c. poverty level per year. she currently pays $94 a month for her health care insurance. she went on the obamacare website just to find out what it would cost her, $250 a month, a $6,000 deductible. folks, the impact of obamacare on average americans is why obamacare should be a part of this spending and debt debate here in washington. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for one minute. mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, i rise with a sense of cautious optimism that we are nearing the end of this financial crisis. our colleagues in the senate are showing all of us that we can have disagreements on the issues and still work together to find common ground to tackle the challenges facing our nation. after so many weeks of this painful and unnecessary federal government shutdown, i urge all of my colleagues in the house to come together to support the commonsense bipartisan reid-mcconnell proposal emerging from the senate. in the past few weeks have taken away valuable time and attention from the many challenges facing our country. once we reopen the government and avoid default, i hope all of us will redirect our energy towards building consensus on solutions towards comprehensive immigration reform, rebuilding our roads, bridges, and ports, growing our economy, reducing our debt in a responsible way, and most urgently promoting job

creation. i hope every member of this house will commit themselves to getting back to the work we were sent here to do and delivering real results for our constituents. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. mr. bera: day number 16. mr. speaker, i'm cautiously optimistic that the shutdown ends today. and we begin to restore the full faith and credit of our nation. mr. speaker, let's get this done. first, let's open the government today. second, let's pay our bills and make sure that the world knows america always pays its bills. and most important, now is the time for us to come together and let's put a real budget together. a budget that brings democrats and republicans together. the best ideas out of both parties and really begins to deal with the debt. a budget that begins to strengthen social security and

medicare for today's seniors, but also the next generation of seniors. and a budget that begins to create jobs and restores the middle class in america. let's work together as democrats and republicans to put the american people first. we now have that opportunity. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> ask 2345uck to -- unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to talk about the basic concept of fairness. in july, the obama administration announced that it would be providing big business a one-year reprevious from having to -- reprieve from having to abide by obamacare. this decision was made to give the employers time to adjust what the federal government was about to put on them. mr. johnson: it was a stunning

move. a move said was an admission that either obamacare wasn't ready for prime time or political calculation that employers offloading their employees' health insurance would not be rewarded in the 2014 elections. the other possibility is that delaying the employer mandate was simply the fair thing to do. mr. speaker, i would ask the president that if the delay is good enough for big businesses, wouldn't it also be fair to delay the individual mandate that every american must comply with or be fined? i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, the time is long overdue for us to put an end to this government shutdown. mr. nolan: and the tremendously

harmful effects it's had on the people in our great nation. we need to get behind the senate , reasonable, bipartisan plan that has been put together to open up our government, pay our bills, and put an end to this shutdown. failure, by the way, means that five million disabled veterans won't receive their benefits in november. failure means that 10 million americans won't receive their social security check. as of october 23. and 26 million more people would not get their social security checks on november 1. failure means $36,000 in additional interest on an average home loan. an additional $1,000 on an average student loan. failure means hundreds of thousands of public employees won't get paid with the businesses and the jobs and the people they serve being at

enormous risk. mr. speaker, the simple truth is that we need to end this government shutdown and stop the harm and damage it's causing. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio seek recognition? ms. kaptur: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. kaptur: mr. speaker, it appears negotiated proposal that is bipartisan will come to a vote before this house today. to end the government shutdown and avert a debt default. the american people surely are looking for reassurance that their government will offer them the security and dependability that they expect. our citizens expect a nation that is confident and certain, not unsteady and uncertain. with the expectation that this compromise from the senate will now be brought before the house, the dow today already is up 200 points. that is what america wants. a growing economy. job creation here at home. a government run efficiently as part of a larger hole in which we all have a stake.

as our nation grow it is self out of the deepest recession in modern history, the least any member can do is do no harm. a working bipartisan majority here in this households the power to govern this nation. all it needs is the will. frankly, the world depends on the certainty of the u.s. dollar. let's get back to regular order. america's challenge is to grow our economy and the jobs that go with it. mr. speaker, let's vote to end the shutdown today, pay our bills, and get america back to work for the american people. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for one minute. mr. yarmuth: mr. speaker, while i hope today is the last day of the senseless government shutdown, i want to share part of a letter from one of my constituents, lindsay smith, a medical student and second lieutenant in the air force's health profession scholarship program. she writes, on october 15, i woke up anxious. i took a shower, ate breakfast, and right before i left for

class i held my breath and checked my bank account. no deposit. today i got to call my electric and cell phone providers to ask for an extension for my mid month bills. ensuring i eat is most important. i wish more than anything coy share my story with those members of congress who are keeping this shutdown charade going. the affordable care act has passed all three levels of government. that's how democracy works. because our elected representatives couldn't think of the big picture and in light of the republican party agenda to block anything coming out of the oval office, thousands of nonactive duty members have to make the choice between eating and paying bills. the people who support and defend you, you should be ashamed of yourselves. thank you, lieutenant smith, for letting us know and reminding us the impact of our actions on real lives. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the

gentlelady from new hampshire seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new hampshire is recognized for one minute. ms. kuster: thank you, mr. speaker. in new hampshire and across our country we continue to see how congressional dysfunction is damaging our economy. the other day i had a telephone town hall to talk with my constituents about how to end this gridlock. i spoke with nelson in columbia, new hampshire, a veteran who fought for our freedom in world war ii. all he asked is that republicans and democrats stop fighting with each other. if we do not end this shutdown soon, on november 1 veterans like nelson will not receive over $6 billion in tension, education, and other benefits that they worked so hard and earned. if we do not act now we will fail to pay our bills and default on all of our obligations, and this is obviously unacceptable to the american people and to our economy. every day this shutdown continues is a day that congress

does not focus on growing the economy, fostering job creation, and expanding opportunity for the middle class. it's long past time for republicans and democrats to come together. that's why i'm proud to be a founding member of united solutions, a group of new members that are working together and will vote today to reopen our government, pay our bills, and move our country forward. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from connecticut seek recognition? ms. delauro: unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from connecticut is recognized for one minute. ms. delauro: thank you, mr. speaker. -- ms. esty: thank you, mr. speaker. protein sciences is a prime example of the many cutting-edge businesses driving economic development in central connecticut. their mission is of critical importance to the entire nation, for the last 30 years they have been developing and producing lifesaving vaccines to treat and

prevent a variety of diseases. the f.d.a. previously approved protein sciences flu block vaccine for 18 to 49-year-olds, calling it a landmark in influenza vaccine history. with f.d.a. officials and employees now on furlough, protein sciences can't get approval for their flu vaccines for americans 50 years and older. increasing the chance that the vaccine won't be available for next year's flu season. the f.d.a. and protein sciences can't fulfill their mission of saving lives because of the irresponsible shutdown. mr. speaker, let's come together to end the shutdown today. to give businesses in all of our districts certainty, and to ensure that businesses like protein sciences can get back to their work of keeping our families healthy and saving lives. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from president of the united states. the speaker pro tempore: mr.

secretary. the secretary: i'm directed by the president of the united states to deliver to the house of representatives a message in writing. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. mrs. maloney: mr. speaker, as the ranking member on the joint economic committee, i would like to call your attention to this recent report. it is entitled, 10 way the shutdown is hurting our economy. its findings are rather sobering. the report makes it clear that the shutdown acts as a serious drag on our economy. economists have testified before the committee that three or four weeks of a shutdown would reduce the country's gross necessaryic product by 1.4 percentage points. we are now entering the third week. the shutdown harms not only federal workers but also the

private sector. if it persists, it will reduce tourism revenue, cause contractors to lay off employees, the housing market will suffer. and public health services will feel its effects. the shutdown hurts everyone from vulnerable mothers and children to ranchers, farmers, and agricultural exporters. we are close to ending this crisis. and as this points out in this report, it could not end faster. it is hurting our economy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. $17 trillion is our national debt. $800 billion is how much we spend more than we take in. we pay $280 billion a year just

on interest payments on the money we borrow. those are the real numbers. and that's why house republicans have spent much of this past two weeks talking about debt, deficits, and federal spending. house republicans know what's driving america's debt. it's our reckless spending by legislators here in washington. and the american people know this, too. a recent bloomberg poll found that 61% of americans think it is right to include spending cuts with the debt limit increase. this is not just a republican problem. vice president joe biden, while serving in the senate, protested against adding to america's debt without, quote, taking positive steps to slow its growth. that's what this debate has been about. mr. speaker, and we'll continue to work hard to make that happen. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from hawaii seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i request

unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from hawaii is recognized for one minute. ms. hanabusa: mr. speaker, day 16 of the shutdown. one day to the debt limit deadline. the question is, are we close to resolution? we have to stay the course. we have on october 5 by unanimous vote of 407-0 in this house passed retroactive pay for all federal workers. on october 8, by unanimous vote of 220-0 in this house, passed pay for these essential workers. the federal workers will be paid. so the people cannot be forced to suffer anymore. that's just common sense. and mr. speaker, we must keep our course on the resolution and the default. 14,678 e, 1,64 --

seniors rely on medicare in my district, what would happen to them if a default would occur? we must stay our course, mr. speaker. we must have a resolution. we must vote for the people of this great nation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one inute. ms. velazquez: children across the country are being turned away from head start educational services. our small businesses are seing a loss in demand for their services and local economies are suffering. americans are finding it harder to finance the purchase of a new home, placing a damper on the housing market. a cornerstone of our national economy. in new york alone, 50,000 workers are furloughed, holding back on purchases that would help stimulate our local economy. now we approach another deadline

and the possible default of the federal debt. ahouring this to happen will be the height of republican irresponsibility. causing havoc in our markets and costing american jobs. all of this could end today, if our colleagues will simply allow a vote. stop playing political games. we need to reopen the government and pay the bills congress previously authorized. mr. speaker, the american people have seen enough. the time for talk is over. let's vote to end this today. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. the chair lays before the house a message. the clerk: to the congress of the united states, section 202d of the national emergencies act, 50 united states code 1622d, provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless within 90 days

prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the president publishes in the federal register and transmits to the congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. in accordance with this provision, i have sent to the federal register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency with respect to significant narcotics traffickers centered in colombia declared in execive order 12978 of october 21, 1995, is to continue in effect beyond october 21, 2013. the circumstances that led to the declaration on october 21, 1995, of a national emergency have not been resolved. the actions of significant narcotics traffickers centered in colombia continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the united states and to cause an extreme level of violence, corruption and harm in the

united states and abroad. for these reasons, i have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in executive order 1297a with respect to significant narcotics traffickers centered in colombia. signed, barack obama, the white house. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the committee on foreign affairs and ordered printed. pursuant to clause 12a of rule rk the house will stand in

>> about this debt crisis. i'm independent. but i kind of agree with the republicans. i mean -- you're only making $34,000 to $45,000 a year, you're having to buy health care . you might be able to get a family of four for $250 now but

three to five years from now, what's going to happen when all these folks are complaining because it's tripled and the cost of their health care under the obama act? everybody's blaming the republicans, but really you just sit and listen to the publicans they are trying to say enough is enough. our government, we can't keep on things or everybody's that we need. c-span chat, if the senate does not defund or delay the affordable care act, the house republicans do not pass t. use our leverage now. his headline from and this headline, a deal. the deal was announced earlier

this hour from the senate floor. here are senators reid and mcconnel. >> the senate is in a quorum call. for reminding me. i ask that the the quorum call be canceled. today we'll see -- see congress reach a bipartisan agreement to reopen the government. this compromise we reached will provide our economy with the stability it desperately needs. it's never easy for two sides to reach consensus. it's really hard. sometimes harder than others. this time was really hard. t after weeks spent facing a

partisan -- facing off across this partisan divide too wide to cross, our country came to the brink of disaster. in the end, political adversaries set aside their differences and disagroments to avert that disaster. i thank the republican leader for his assistance to reach this accord. his assistance was necessary to reach an accord that would be signed by both chambers of congress and signed by president obama. in order to ensure that congress continues to work to set this country on the path of fiscal sustainability, it instructs leaders to name conferees to a budget conference committee that will set our country on the path to long-term sustainability. i know some say that's going to be hard. but what we do is hard here and this is really hard but i think we can get it done. the committee members must have

pen minds, be willing to entertain ideas even from the other party. this conference committee which will be led by chirme reid and chairman ryan is the appropriate place to discuss our differing views is the best way to chart our economic growth. it averts default through february 7 during which time we can work toward a long-term budget agreement to prevent these frequent crises. perhaps most importantly this legislation ends a standoff that ground the work of washington to a halt this fall. madam president, this is not a time for pointing fingers of blame. this is a time of reconciliation. i look forward 20 working with my colleagues on both -- forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of this great capitol

to pass this remarkable agreement which will protect the long-term health of our economy and avert a default on our nation's debt and allow us to set up the foundation for economic expansion. what we've done is send a message to americans from every one of our 50 states. noigs that, to the citizens of every country in the world that the united states lives up to its obligations. now congress must return to its most important job, fostering economic growth and protecting middle class families. i appreciate through all this the steady hand of president obama to help fwide us to this conclusion. i'm optimistic that the spirit of compromise that's taken root in the senate over the last two days will endure. i do know this senator mcconnel and i have sat in very, very serious discussions the last few days, we're going to do everything we can to change the

atmosphere in the senate and accomplish things that need to be done for our country. >> madam president. >> the republican leader. >> this has been a long, challenging few weeks for congress and for the country. it is my home that -- hope that today we can put some of those most urgent issues behind us. after yesterday's events the majority leader and i began a series of conversations about a way to get the government reopened and prevent default. i'm confident we'll be able to do both of those things later today. crucially, i'm also confidence that -- confident that we'll be able to announce that we're protecting the government's spend regular duckses that both parties agreed to under the budget control act and that the president signed into law. that's been a top priority for me and for my colleagues on the republican side of the aisle throughout this debate.

and it's been worth the effort. some have suggested we break that promise as part of this agreement. some have said washington needs to spend more. that we need to raise taxes. that we need to just tax our way to prosperity. and balance. but what the b.c.a. showed is that washington can actually cut spending and because of this law that's what we've done. for the first time since the korean war, the first time since the korean war, government spending has declined for two years. in a row. the first time in 50 years. and we're not going back on this agreement. it is a -- there's a lot more we need to do to get our nation's fiscal house in order. hopefully once we've gotten past the drama of the moment, we can get to work on it. but for now, let's not understate the importance of the

budget control act or the importance of the fight to preserve it. this legislation is the largest spend regular ducks bill of the last quarter century and the largest deficit reduction bill since 1981 that didn't include a tax hike. preserving this law is critically important to the future of our country. throughout this debate, the public has rightly focused on obamacare, for good reason. this law is ravaging our economy, killing jobs, driving up premiums and driving people off the health care plans they have and like in droves. its disastrous rollout is a seen of even worse things to come. and the refusal to the lay it reflects a kind of stubborn ideological obsession that will do untold damage to our country and republicans remain determined to repeal this terrible law.

but for today, for today, the relief we hope for is to reopen the government, avoid default, and protect the historic cuts we achieved under the budget control act. this is far less than many of us had hoped for, frankly. but it is far better than what some have sought. now it's time for republicans to unite behind other crucial goals. madam president, i yield the floor. >> the comments of senators reid and mcconnell just a short while ago as the senate gaveled in at noon eastern time and announced the agreement between the democratic and republican leader. meanwhile, reaction from "the new york times," there's this quote from senator lindsay graham, republican of south carolina who tells the "new york times," we took some bread crumbs and left an entire meal on the table. this has been a bad two weekers in republican party.

senator richard burr, republican of north carolina, taking a swipe at senators ted cruz of texas and lee of utah, republican senator burr said, let's just say sometimes learning what can't be fleshed is an important long-term thing and hopefully for some of the members they are learning it's impossible to defaund mandatory programs by shutting down the federal government. we're going to get to your calls in just a moment and also monitoring further developments on where this now goes. presumably it will go to the house first based on news accounts and later to the senate and the president. we heard from senator reid and senator mcconnell saying they hope to wrap this thing up today. meanwhile within the last half-hour, senator ted cruz spoke to reporters and announce head would not block, as a senator can often do, by filibustering or delay anything procedural vote, he won't block the vote in the u.s. senate.

>> ok, never mind. >> let me wait until everyone is situated. unfortunately, once again, it appears the washington establishment is refusing to listen to the american people. the deal that has been cut provides no relief to the millions of americans who are hurting because of obamacare. the deal that has been cut provides no relief to all the young people coming out of school who can't find a job because of obamacare. it provides no relief to all the single parent who was been forced into part-time work, struggling to feed their kids on 29 her hours a week. it provides no relief to all the hardworking family whors facing sky rokting health insurance premiums and it provides no relief to all the seniors -- seniors, all the people with disabilities who right now are getting in the mail notifications from their health insurance company that they're

losing their health insurance because of obamacare. it is unfortunate that washington is not listening to the people. now i want to commend the house of representatives, the house of representatives has take an bold stance, listening to the american people. but unfortunately, the united states senate has refused to do likewise. the united states senate has stayed with the traditional approach of the washington establishment of maintaining the status quo and doing nothing to respond to the suffering that obamacare is causing millions of americans. this is unfortunate but nobody should be surprised that the washington establishment is pushing back. nobody should be surprised at the resistance to change. let me say, the american people in the last few months have risen up in overwhelming numbers. we have seen millions of americans all over this country working to change washington. that has been incredible progress and this fight this debate, will continue until

collectively the american people can make d.c. listen, can get real relief for all of the people who are hurt because of obamacare. you want to know what this fight is about? it's about one thing. this is about all of the people across this country who are right now facing terrifying decisions because they're losing their health care, losing their jobs, being left in the cold and sadly the united states senate has said, washington will do nothing, it has created the problems you are face bug washington will do nothing to address the suffering you're feeling. that is unfortunate but this debate and this fight will continue in the months ahead. >> two-part question here, number one, will you filibuster? >> what's the second part. >> the second part is if you're not going to filibuster, will you take a significant amount of time. >> there have been many questions about the timing of this vote. the time of this vote, it is my

understanding from leadership is likely to occur today. i have no objections to the timing of this vote. the reason is simple. there's nothing to be gained from delaying this vote one day or two days. the outcome will be the same. every senator, every member of the house, is going to have to make a decision where he or she stands. but there's no benefit, i've never had any intention of delaying the timing of this vote and indeed, i thought -- i thought it was interesting reading in the paper that much speculation about whether we might beday the the -- delay the timing of the vote, republican leadership never asked if i intended to delay the timing of the vote. my focus is on the substance. my focus is, i think, where the american people's focus is, which is what are we doing to provide real relief to the people hurting because of obamacare. unfortunately, today, the answer is the united states senate and the washington establishment is doing nothing to provide relief for the millions of people who are hurting. >> can i ask about where we are right now. as you know, you have a lot of

fellow republicans really down right angry at you because here we are, almost three weeks later, the strategy you started out on, to defund obamacare as part of funding the government they never thought was going to work because the votes aren't there and here we are, reopening the government after a lot of bruising political warfare internally and you got nothing for it. >> respectfully, i disagree with the premise of that. i think we have seen a remarkable thing happen. months ago, when the effort to defund obamacare began, official washington scoff they scoffed at the american people would rise up, they scoffed that the house of representatives would do anything and they scoffed that the senate would do anything. we saw first of all millions upon millions of americans rise up all over this country over two million people signing a national petition to defund obamacare. we saw the house of representatives take a courageous stand, listening to the american people, that everyone in official washington just weeks earlier said would

never happen. that was a remarkable victory to see the house engage in a profile in courage. unfortunately, the senate chose not to follow the house and in particular, we saw real division among senate republicans. that was unfortunate. i would point out that had senate republicans united and supported house republicans, the outcome of this, i believe, would have been very, very different. i wish that had happened. but it did not. but it does give a path going forward that if the american people continue to rise up, i believe the house will continue to listen to the american people and i hope in time the senate begins to listen to the american people also because look, lots of people in washington love to focus on the -- focus on the politics. it is unfortunately the game of this town. but what matters more than any politicians in washington is all of the people across this country who are hurting right now, who are getting in the mail a notification that the health care they're relying on for

their care, for their parent's care, for their children's care, that it's being canceled because of obamacare. president obama promised the american people obamacare would low you are your health insurance premiums. i would venture to say virtually every person across this country has seen exactly the opposite happen, is seeing premiums fwoning up and up and up an whonche clicks on obama kaye sees the preemyoums going up and up. president obama promised the american people if you like your health insurance you can keep it. we now know that was flat out, categorically false. people all over this country are losing their health insurance, 15,000 u.p.s. employees got a notification in the mail that they were losing spousal coverage, their husbands and wives were losing the health insurance they wanned and they liked that is happening all over the country. it's wrong. and the focus in my view should not be on the politics of washington.

the politics of washington is the -- at the enof the day, doesn't matter. >> senator ted cruz speaking to reporters within the last half-hour. we're going to leave that taped event and take you live to the white house, reaction to all this from press secretary jay arney. >> pretty much the entirety of the press office staff today. welcome, everyone, thanks for being here, as ever. we can go right to questions because i have no announcements to make, though i'm sure i know what you're going to ask. >> can you pleasive give -- give us details on reaction to the senate deal struck today? >> the president believes that the bipartisan agreement announced by the leaders of the united states senate will reopen the government and remove the threat of economic brinksmanship that has already harmed middle class families, american

businesses, and our country's economic standing in the world. the president applauds leader reid and minority leader mcconnell for working together to forge this compromise. and encourages the congress to act swiftly to end this shutdown and protect the full faith and credit of the united states of america. >> and i assume that mean he is supports the provisis includ in that, including the reopening the government -- >> he does. he believe this is agreement achieves what's necessary in terms of reopening the government and removing the threat of default and the kind of brinksmanship we've seen. and he again, we haven't seen legislation move through either house at this point, but -- so we're not issuing an official statement of administration policy but he looks forward to congress acting, that he can sign legislation that will reopen the government and remove

this threat from our economy. >> is he confident that both the senate and the house will be able to vote on this measure today? >> we leave parliamentary procedures to the congress. we obviously hope that each house will be able to act swiftly. because we're already on day 16, i think, correct me if i'm wrong, of a wholly unnecessary shutdown of government with real consequences for real people. and we are obviously very close to the point beyond which the united states treasury no longer has the authority to borrow new money to meet our obligations. so as soon as possible is essentially the recommendation we have from here. >> since we are so close to that deadline, are there any operations or procedures going

in police today to prepare for the possibility that congress cannot pass this measure today? >> the treasury is the place that would answer questions like that. what i can tell you is what secretary lew made clear in his testimony and letter to congress, that is that the treasury department will exhaust borrowing authority at the end of the day tomorrow, thursday, october 17. and that -- beyond that point, the treasury would have only cash on hand. it would not be able to borrow new money to meet obligations. >> jay, how confident is the white house that the house will pass this deal? >> we are not putting odds on anything, we're simply applauding the leaders of the senate for reaching the agreement that they've reached and calling on both houses of congress to act swiftly. to take action to ensure that the government reopens and the

threat of default is removed. and that the continuing harm that these two situations have caused to our economy can stop. >> the president said from the beginning that he would not negotiate on this. now thate looks like there's a deal, do you feel like he fulfilled that pledge? >> what the president made clear was >> what the president made clear was this. he would not allow a situation o develop where he paid ransom to any party in congress that was trying to extract unilateral political concessions in return for congress fulfilling its fundamental responsibilities. and he believes that's the right position for him to take, that it was the right position, it is the right position and it's the right position for presidents of the future to take. cause our economy is

tremely dependent on the faith and credit that's investmented in it by investors around the world. in other words, -- invested in it by investors around the world. in other words, there is a real intangible value to the safeness of investing in the united states, and as we've discussed many times over the past days and weeks, threatening that does real harm. obviously default would have -- would cause even more harm, but we've already -- there's already a price that's been paid. as we saw in 2011, and we've seen again now in the various ays that the flirtation with crossing that line and flirting with default has brought about consequences. so he felt and feels it's the right position to take and, again, applaud the leaders of

the senate for coming together d working out a bipartisan solution. >> is there any concern, even with this deal being made, that a downgrade from some of the credit rating agencies could be pending? >> i'd refer to you treasury for those kinds of assessments. i think we focus on the things we can control which is calling n congress to quickly act on this compromise agreement and ensure that the government reopens and that the threat of default is removed. >> and lastly, this is -- leading to additional budget talks this year, once the talks are under way, will the white house, will the president insist that revenue continue to be on the table? >> the president has insisted that in these budget negotiations that he's been calling for all year, everything has to be on the table, and that will be his position going forward.

fair believes is a approach toward resolving our budget challenges is reflected in the budget he submitted. he knows even though that was a compromise proposition from the beginning and reflected the offer he made to speaker boehner at the end of last year that he will not get in a budget negotiation everything he wants and neither will democrats and neither will republicans and that's the nature of compromise. but he firmly believes that balance, when it comes to further reducing our deficit and building on the work that has been done over these past four years in which we have reduced our deficits by half, we need to continue to take a balanced approach so that no sector of society unfairly has to bear the brunt of that project. that's always been his position and it will be his position moving forward. >> jay, can you just give us a little color how the president

was informed of the deal, who told him, what his reaction was? >> no. >> none? >> right now, brianna, i think we're looking to capitol hill for action to be taken. the president, as you know, has been in contact with leaders in congress as have members of his team. and we are encouraged by the progress that we've seen and hope that it is fulfilled through votes in both the senate and the house. >> can you give us any more about how he was involved in the process? >> well, as i've said, he's been, as you know, he's had meetings with leaders of congress. he's had phone calls with leaders of congress. he invited all members of both houses to the white house, and it is also the case that we don't inform you of every phone call that he makes. either to members of congress or others. he's been engaged in the process. his team has been engaged in this process.

ultimately, our position has been consistent and clear and therefore not that complicated to communicate either to you or to the public or to congress. we have simply urged all sides sort of -- put aside the efforts to achieve partisan advantage and leverage and instead to move forward with an agreement that opens the government and raises the debt ceiling so that the threat of default does not hang over us at the time -- you know, at this time. >> the president said yesterday basically wants this whole mess is resolved, once in is done, the day after i'm going to be pushing to call a vote on immigration reform. does he really think a recipe for success on immigration reform, one divisive issue is to deal with this after another divisive issue? >> one of the consequences of these manufactured crises is

that time is taken away from the pursuit of other goals that bev as a nation. and that includes economic goals that go to the heart of his agenda, to build a better -- building a better bargain for the middle class, and it goes also to the project of bringing about legislation that he can sign that comprehensively reforms our immigration system in this country. now, that legislation passed the senate with a significant bipartisan majority. and he absolutely believes that the house ought to take up that legislation and pass it. as we've discussed in recent days, that's not a partisan pursuit. it's the opposite of a partisan pursuit. one, because it requires votes from both parties. and it also --

>> do you think pushing it right away increases the chances of yielding a result? >> i think the president was simply reflecting that unfortunately, even though we've been pushing for comprehensive immigration reform all year long, there's no question that the decision by the house to shut the government down and flirt with default has forced him and everyone in congress to pay attention to those problems and to those crises rather than the many other things that we could and should be working on and immigration reform is one of them. i don't think -- again, there are many, many proponents of comprehensive immigration reform in the republican party and within the broader republican universe, so this is not a -- he's not saying that he wants to come out and push some democratic agenda item. he wants to continue the effort that has been under way all year to try to pass a

bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would strengthen the economy, help our middle class, reduce the deficit and make us more competitive in the future. so that is one of the many priorities that he will be pushing and he hopes members of congress will be pushing once we can move past these unfortunate crises. >> does he think he has a better shot to do that now? >> i don't think i can sort of place quantitative odds on the prospects of any of this. congress is a difficult institution to make predictions about. so our view is simply that it's the right thing to do and we're going to push for it. and we think there's a strong argument to be made on a whole array of areas when it comes to immigration reform. it's the economically right thing to do.

it's the right thing to do when it comes to deficit reduction. it's the right thing to do when it comes to ensuring that the best and the brightest from around the world who come here and get an education stay here and start businesses. it's the right thing to do when it comes to further strengthening our border security. so there's something in that bill for everyone. which is why it's the right thing for america. john. >> one, when was the last time the president spoke to the speaker of the house? >> i don't have any new conversations to read out to you, but as i've noted many times, so don't read anything specific into this, the president has conversations with members of congress that we do not read out in all cases. so at this time i have no readouts to provide. >> does the president have an assurance from the speaker of the house that the house will vote on this? >> i'd refer you to the house in terms of actions that the house may or may not do. >> bring this up for a vote?

>> the president hopes that both houses will act swiftly on this agreement in order to reopen the government and remove the threat of default and this continued brinksmanship from, you know, the harm it's causing to this economy. i'm not sure that's a great sentence. i apologize. >> i understand. [inaudible] >> the red sox game wasn't even late so i can't blame that. but, since i'm speaking about the red sox, how about john laky, pretty good. >> moving on. >> -- john lackey, pretty good. >> moving on. >> moving on. >> will it prevent further layoffs? >> there are no winners here. we said that from the beginning and we're going to say it right up until the end because it's true. the american people paid a price for this, and nobody who's sent here to washington

by the american people can call themselves a winner if the american people have paid a price for what's happened. and the economy has suffered because of it, and it was wholly unnecessary, and let's just remind ourselves that we're not even out of it. this is not done. we need action to be taken so that the government can reopen and the threat of default can be removed. >> the president, in this agreement, is a little bit of ransom paid? i mean, there is a provision in here that requires verification for subsidies under the affordable care act. >> the income verification provision to which you refer was negotiated by senate democrats and senate republicans and is a modest adjustment to the existing affordable care act law. we have always said we are willing to make improvements and adjustments to the law. ransom would be a wholly different thing. >> well, it's a little bit of ransom. >> no. [inaudible] >> not if both sides agree to

it and we support it. we're fine with it. >> ok. and very quick, to just factual things on the affordable care act. can you give us some updated figures on web traffic? where are we now? >> here's what i can tell you. today, we are two weeks into the implementation of the affordable care act health insurance marketplace where americans, regardless of their income, job status or age or health status can access quality, affordable health coverage they can rely on. health care reform is more than a website. across the country, people are getting health insurance, although the glitches are unacceptable, so is the idea of leaving millions of americans on their own, including families across the country who now have access to health care that they did not have two weeks ago. i noted on one network today there was a suggestion that network could not find a single story of someone enrolling,

which was ironic, because they're all over the rest of the media, including in delaware, a small business owner found a plan that cost her $150 less than the cost of her previous plan. again, these are other media reports. we don't -- not information we're collecting or disseminating. kaiser health news refers to a college student who will pay $70 after federal subsidies, the same amount he's currently paying but for much broader coverage, in this case. he said, i'm thrilled to get something this good at that price. it was a complete surprise. in new mexico, a business owner signed up his employees and got quoted a policy that will save $1,000 per month. this is the owner of a law firm in new mexico. and i've mentioned some other stories. these are just stories that reflect, despite the glitches that we acknowledge and absolutely must be fixed, people are getting on and enrolling. they are finding an enormous array of options available to them that weren't available to

them in the past. and we are focused on consumers here. and consumers are just regular americans out there who want the option of being able to buy affordable health insurance. and what we're seeing from the anecdote that had been reported are that people are finding those options available to them and are excited about them and the volume that we've seen reflects the fact that the interest is extremely high. and, you know, that volume continues. i don't have in front of me -- maybe i can find it for you -- it continues to be extremely high. we have 560,000 calls that had been made to the marketplace call center, and i'm sure -- i just have a lot of material here. i know that the numbers of people coming fought website remain extremely high. >> get the updated numbers. and do you have an estimate for

me now? >> we will have the enrollment figures monthly. so i expect the first figures to come out mid november. >> thanks. >> i understand what you're saying about there's no winners, but clearly the white house and the president wanted to establish a new norm. no reopening of the government with what you consider to be partisan legislative attachments, avoiding default with the same approach. has that strategy been vindicated, 16 days of shutdown been worth the effort to achieve that -- >> the shutdown was wholly unnecessary, and this was a manufactured crisis. the president's position from the beginning was that congress ought to pass a continuing resolution at existing funding levels. he made no request associated

with that, demanded no concessions in return for signing a legislation that would extend government funding to allow for broader budget negotiations. so -- >> he did want to push back on the idea that you could use either one of these pieces of -- these deadlines as leverage. >> it remains the right position to take, especially when it comes to the full faith and credit of the united states that neither he nor any of his successors can allow a dynamic to take root where raising the debt ceiling is used as leverage or the refusal to raise the debt ceiling is used as leverage to try to achieve some partisan policy objective. >> and do you believe this now settles that question? >> again, we don't have a bill to sign. we're not in a position here to even say the government has

been reopened or the debt ceiling has been lifted. i think hopefully when we do we can have a fuller discussion about what comes next. so i don't want to get ahead of where we are today. we are pleased with the progress made in the senate and the agreement announced by leaders reid and mcconnell today and very much appreciate the bipartisan effort under way in the senate that reflects, we believe, a model for how we can move forward. after all, this is only been about basic stuff. funding the government, making sure the united states pays its bills. we will have, hopefully, serious substantive negotiations around a broader budget agreement. in that process hopefully there will be a willingness to compromise by both sides. and if that is the case, then perhaps we can reach a broader budget agreement that will

settle some of these disputes in a way nobody gets everything he or she wants but the american people win because ere is increased certainty and necessary investments to help our economy grow and protect and expand the middle class. that's what we seek here, and we think those are goals that really have been and can be shared by members of both parties. >> can the country anticipate hearing from the president when this process finishes itself on capitol hill? >> you know, i don't have any scheduling announcements to make when it comes to the president. obviously he's been very much engaged in this and has spoken publicly about it rather frequently, so we'll have to see once we have a resolution as to what format his first comments about it will take. >> logistically, once the legislation is completed, when

it is completed, that it get over here right away to avoid this snare joe that the treasury secretary has laid out or do you think there's some time, 24, 48 hours, there's an urgent matter that the legislation get here? >> i think the uncertainty that has already been created has caused harm to our economy and i'm just citing the financial press in saying that. this is not just some inside information. we know it based on what's been reported. o as soon as possible is the approach -- is the act we're asking congress to act swiftly. the problem with reaching the debt ceiling, the problem with reaching that date where beyond which the united states no longer has the authority to borrow new money is that it is unchartered territory. >> avoid that -- >> i would point you to what secretary lew and others have said about in a and simply urge

congress to act swiftly. >> on the negotiations, once they occur, is it the highest priority of the white house to redraw sequestration? >> the president has many priorities reflected in his budget. i think the president believes we ought to set budget policy in a way that makes wise hoices about how we invest and sequester definitely does not fit the bill because it was sort of mindless across-the-board cuts that -- i mean, by design -- that took away from lawmakers and policymakers the ability to make wise choices about how we fund our government and what investments we make so that the economy can grow and what programs provide the best bang for the taxpayer dollar when it comes to growth and job

creation. so we certainly -- we certainly -- >> about we need to invest and we're not going to be so obsessed with deficit reduction, it's important but we're going to deal with other investments, you take those speeches throughout august, this agreement, january 15, when the next sequestration cuts really begin to bite in a different way, that's the number one priority, redraw those numbers? >> well, again, i don't think it's all about sequester. the president's budget has savings that completely eliminate the sequester and then exceed it when it comes to deficit reduction. so it is clearly a belief i believe shared by many republicans that the cuts created by sequester are done with an ax instead of a scalpel or cleever instead of a scalpel -- cleaver instead of a scalpel and do harm unnecessarily and

we ought to do better. we ought to come together and negotiate a broader budget agreement in which everybody can agree on where to cut, how to reduce the deficit, where to invest and plus up some programs because they're good for the economy and good for the middle class, good for educating our children and investing in our future. and from that we can strengthen the foundation that we built already for economic growth in the future. >> jay, on the -- following the question about the strategy of not negotiating over default and whether or not that's been vindicated, during the campaign the president also talked about if he won the election he would break this republican fever he felt was there to sort of not work with him. with this deal, do you think he's made any progress in breaking that fever or had ted cruz and other republicans kind of driven both sides further apart?

>> it's a great question and i think it's fair to say that the experience that we've all had monstrates the kind of hyperpartisanship that was the problem in the past, especially in one house, continues to be a challenge. and that when pursued at the expense of good governance and the american people, it does harm to our economy and causes dysfunction here in washington. it's a way of asking, a good way, but a way of asking the question that was asked before. how do we -- what odds do we set on cooperation and bipartisan compromise in the future? i don't think we would future odds on that. we would simply hope that this experience, if and when it's over, would remind all of us ere that these kinds of crises

only create harm to the american people and to the american economy. there are costs that have already been incurred because of shutdown, because of the flir take with default -- flirtation with default and they're not retrievable. o we ought to instead focus on making progress instead of creating all this unnecessary conflict. but whether or not, you know, this experience has -- will lead to different choices in the future is really a question for members of congress. >> on the last part, ted cruz, i know you guys don't like to comment on him directly. but him and whoever supports him, have they been -- do you think they've driven people apart? do you think there's any room for compromise you talked about moving forward from this?

> again, completely legitimate questions. i think these are -- these are questions that can be best answered by republicans in both houses. the -- what we know is that the strategy that was pursued shut the government down, caused harm to the economy and to the american people. kept a lot of people out of work, has kept people out of work. i should refrain from using the past tense here. and has brought us already to the brink of reaching the debt ceiling. and it certainly doesn't seem based on my arm chair analysis one, any adherence to that approach, anything substantive. but i think it's important to note that the voices calling for a reasonable approach and for compromise have been both democratic and republican.

there is a, i think, large constituency of conservative republicans who, you know, believe that -- it's not right for the american people and the american economy to take an all or nothing approach. we've heard those voices, and some of the republicans who have expressed that opinion are the ones who've been very helpful in the senate in helping bring about the agreement that was announced today. >> thank you for trying to answer the republican side. you tried. ask elt me ask -- let me you to take a final crack at it. the president said the problem is speaker boehner gets weakened every time he negotiates with the president, those are the president's words. boehner goes back and, quote, can't control his caucus. we accept that premise,

question very simple. what is the solution? does the president want a new speaker? does the president think there's something he can have a solution, some new approach he can bring? you said the american people paid a price for this debate. with the president, three years to go, have the republicans paid a price? >> i think everyone pays a price for the failure to function here in washington. so on that question, the answer i think is pretty clear. on -- i think what the president was saying in that interview is reflected by what we've seen over these past several years and many of you have reported is that even when there has been sincere willingness in our view by republican leaders to try to find a compromise on some of these broader budget issues, ere has not been the support to consummate those potential

agreements. i think that is a bland statement of the obvious. and that has played out a number of times. i think as i've said many times, the president has a good relationship with speaker boehner. i am not trying to harm him by saying that. he believes that speaker boehner in their negotiations over the years sincerely wanted to or tried to find a compromise. and when it comes to moving forward, the president's going to take the same approach with the same open mindedness about compromise that he has in the past and he hopes there will be leaders and rank and file members of the republican party willing to meet him halfway and reach a deal that does good for our economy and for our people. >> thank you. the president recently from that podium, jay, apologized to the american people for having to put up with government by crisis. i think he addressed this in some form. why today given this is such a short-term deal should americans have any faith that any broader deal can be

achieved by this president and this congress within 90 days? >> it's a fair question. i think, again, there seems to be an openness, not just by democrats, but by republicans, to trying to forge a compromise on our broader budget issues. how big that agreement would be will depend on how the negotiations go. but the president has sought that kind of broader compromise. and certainly democrats have sought it, and there have been republicans and are republicans who seek it so perhaps this will create an opportunity to finally reach a broader areas of the he economy that needs to be invested in and reduce the deficit. >> does the president have any regrets anything relating to his management of these

simultaneous crises or any crises that may have created this situation we're presently in? what would be his number one regret from his position? >> i think the president's position has been pretty clear. in this -- let me get to it. in these two manufactured crises that we've been dealing with in the last several weeks, the president made clear what his view was, made clear he was asking nothing in return for congress doing their job, no concessions demanded on his part and made clear that he believed shutting the government down and threatening default would only do harm to the american people and the american economy. and that i think he believes that was the right position to take and continues to be the right position to take and he is very optimistic or hopeful that the agreement announced today can be moved through congress so that we can get beyond these crises. i think it's fair to say, as the president has said, what

, you know, 2011 was created the precedent here that was so important to avoid in 2013. and that the willingness at the time to try to link the debt ceiling issue, the absolute need for congress to pay its bills, around the policy demands by the republicans did real harm. and, you know, knows are lessons i think we all learned. there's no question as we debated and discussed here in the past, in previous years, legislation to increase the debt ceiling has been attached to different bills and has been discussed within the context of budgeting and other policy negotiations. but the concrete willingness to default and threaten default is not something we had ever seen until 2011 and the economy paid a price as a result. i think we all, including the president, learned lessons from

that. >> already some businesses are reaching out to their employees, contract employees and others preparing them to come back to work as early as tomorrow. has the white house done anything pro actively to have -- proactively to have their staff as early as tomorrow? >> i'll get back. >> are you confident that the ouse will pass this agreement? given that you seem skeptical about it, is there anything that the president is doing today to try and move this forward either on the house or senate side? >> again, the president has been in regular communication with congressional leaders. i don't have any specific conversations to read out. his team has been in regular communication with congressional leaders and their staffs. and i'm not expressing skepticism. i'm simply not saying this is done because it's not done. and we call on congress to act

quickly to pass legislation that the president can sign so we can reopen the government and remove the threat of default that has been looming ver us for so many days now. >> investors are holding $100 billion in treasury bills -- >> [inaudible] >> should they be worried? >> i would refer you to tresh y. -- treasury. i say the borrowing authority that treasury has under the law is exhausted at the end of the day tomorrow. as the treasury secretary has made clear repeatedly. beyond that, if there's not a resolution to this and the debt ceiling isn't lifted, then we have a cash on hand situation when it comes to meeting our obligations. for more on that, i refer you to the building down the street. >> and given that the agreement

only icks tends the debt why won't orarily, we be in this precarious situation a few months from now? >> the agreement includes retaining the abilities of the treasury secretary to exercise extraordinary measures which is important because we need to ave that cushion against the prospect of potential unwillingness by congress to raise the debt ceiling. two -- and those are authorities that have existed throughout this process, but there was discussions at various stages of this debate about removing those authorities. but that should not give anybody any false security. i would simply say it is important that those authorities be retained. secondly, going to questions i got from the front row, we can only hope that this experience nd the experience from 2011 is

informative to members of congress when it comes to the absolute necessity to ensure that the united states can ways pay its bills on time without drama or delay. because even if you go to the brink, you inflict damage on the economy. you basically cause a premium to be charged to the american people so that the actions -- the actions of flirting with default, flirting with crossing the debt ceiling deadline result in higher costs for the american government and therefore the american taxpayer. and it's just -- and there's no upside to that. that creates lasting damage, and that is why this debate has been so serious. that's why we emphasized so long this is not -- when it comes to the debt ceiling and the need to ensure that the

united states pays its bills on time, this is not your run-of-the-mill policy debate or partisan dispute. this is something that goes to the heart of america's economic strength. yes? >> as you guys watched this play out, you've seen republicans vote in the house and senate push back against heir more conservative members , thinking about the gang of the republicans in the senate that helped out the deal and also the moderate republicans in the house, have you been encouraged that maybe there is a new path forward on other -- you got three more years. you got other agenda items. do you think something new has emerged that could make for a more workable relationship or is this a passing phenomenon that then everything sort of reverts back after this deal

gets done? >> because i don't know the answer to the second question, i can't really say that we're either encouraged or discouraged, because we will just have to see. the president will take the approach that he has always taken which is one that expresses the willingness to compromise, a willingness to discuss any idea brought to him by a member of either party when it comes to budget decisions and other policy decisions. and his willingness to find a compromised solution because he doesn't believe he has a corner on all good ideas or the democrats have a corner on all good ideas or the republicans do. if we can approach this thing with the goal of a compromise and therefore an understanding that we're not going -- no side is going to get everything that it wants, then we can probably get some important things done. and that is true in the budget

arena but true also in so many other areas where the american people expect us to make progress on their behalf. so i think it's early days given what we've been through to start predicting future bipartisan harmony. i would -- i wouldn't expect or recommend that, but i would simply say that this president, the president will take the same approach moving forward when it comes to trying to find common ground with republicans that he has in the past. let me move around a little bit. "time" magazine. >> thanks, jay. in terms of -- what is the time frame -- what is the time frame from when this deal gets passed and when the government reopens, when do the federal employees get back to work? and the provide sess which by the federal government reopens,

then is the administration preparing based on that? >> i don't know how quickly everything gets turned back own. if an agreement is reached and signed, reached, passed and signed. i would try -- my colleagues over at o.m.b. to see if they have more information about how that process works. it would be our hope and desire to return to normal working orders as quickly as possible and to get people back to work. again, provided that we get the action that we hope for out of congress and the president's able to sign something into law. >> thanks. [inaudible] >> as you know, discussions are

continuing today between the p-5 plus one and iran and geneva. for the first time they had very technical discussions and we found that the iranian presentation very useful. the iranian proposal was a new proposal with a level of seriousness and substance that we had not seen before. and i, of course, am not going to negotiate from here, nor am i going to characterize the proposal further as we do not want to have these technical and serious conversations in public or go into details of these proposals that the iranians made. having said that, no one should expect a breakthrough overnight. they are complicated issues, technical issues, as the president said the history of mistrust is very deep. the own us remains on eye --

the onous remains on iran and any deal must prove to the international community that iran's program will be used for exclusively peaceful purposes. the p-5 plus one remains united in this approach. i understand in a high representative ashton announced that the next meeting will take place in geneva november 7 and 8. april and then john. >> jay, can you update on the president's conversation with world leaders, particularly on a shutdown? anything happening here economically ripples around the world, can you tell us about that? >> don't have any presidential conversation with world leaders that i can read out to you on this subject. he's meeting with the prime minister of italy, i believe that's tomorrow. but not on this subject necessarily but i'm sure there will be updates on this and many other issues and the president very much looks

forward to that meeting. tertiary secretary said there were i.m.f. meetings and foreign ministers in town, and i'm sure there were many conversations about what was happening in the united states in those meetings, but i don't have anything with the president's name attached to it to report out to you. >> what is the general sense of the common threat among the world leaders that maybe the treasury is -- >> i wouldn't speak for them. i would simply say that the the e world has a stake in stability nmatched in the u.s. economy.

and the premise that the united states pays its bills. and that is why going back to this rlier discussion whole debate around the debt ceiling is so serious and why it's not something to be treated lightly or to be used in an attempt to, you know, achieve a partisan goal. that's simply dangerous and it's bad for the american people, bad for the american economy and bad for the global economy. and we're very hopeful that we ill have resolved this issue soon if congress takes action for now, but it's important going forward that the effect of flirtation with reaching the debt ceiling and the flirtation with default is negative in all cases and harmful to the american people in all cases and harmful to the economy in

all cases. say you don't care what people around the world think, but you ought to care if only because people around the world invests in the united states and don't have to. so the security of that investment needs to be protected. >> this could impair the global economy? >> well, no, i'm not going to make projections about the global economy. we know -- and i'm citing financial press reports. no inside information. but we know there has been a negative impact already of the shutdown and of the flirtation with reaching the debt ceiling and that's why it's so important to come to a resolution so we can move forward. >> first, would the president sign off on this deal september

30? >> the president's position all along was raise the debt ceiling and keep the government open. >> budget conference -- >> the president's position all year long is there ought to be a budget conference. he supported the democrats when they called on the house to appoint conferees 19 times and were told no 19 times. and it's a hypothetical, but the president's position that the debt ceiling ought to be raised and the government ought to be kept open or reopened is kept in this agreement and we hope that congress acts swiftly to pass it and send it to the president. >> second, there is a lot of focus on immigration from the president's interview yesterday. that being the next big issue on the table. what would you say to the folks who want to see healthcare.gov work about better, about why that isn't the 100% focus?

you have millions of uninsured americans that want to sign, millions more that want to see obamacare work effectively. >> i can guarantee you that the efforts around the clock that have been under way since the launch of healthcare.gov will continue at the president's insistence and direction. i think identifying immigration reform as something he wants to see action on right away does not preclude or does not suggest you doesn't want or won't insist on action on other things. once the implementation of the affordable care act and fixing the issues with the website, those are obviously things administratively that we are working on and will continue to work on. comprehensive immigration reform requires action in the house, action in congress. so one -- so action on one and emphasis on one does not exclude action and emphasis on the other. quite the contrary. let me reassure you or assure you that the president has made clear every effort to be

undertaken to ensure that the consumer experience consistently improves throughout this enrollment period. >> doesn't one distract from the other? >> no, it doesn't. >> just following up what you said earlier on discussions distracting, the budget conference will take place at a time when months after it was -- usually takes place under regular order, do you think given the way this deal has been established with these relatively short deadlines to get to the next deadlines, is there enough room, is there enough time for the president to do anything but talk about fiscal issues, concentrate on fiscal issues and does congress have the bandwidth to do much more than that? >> the answer to both is i think yes.

the president has already done a lot of work on these issues and had a lot of conversations on the budget issues with republicans. his positions are reflected in his budget. note, ink that, as you the fact that there already is a process in place in budgets passed where conferees work on at least the potential floor action in congress. they don't have to start from scratch. and we're very hopeful that everyone who is working on that effort in congress will have as a goal a compromise solution that reflects principles of both sides but is a compromise and one that vests in areas of the -- invests in areas of the economy that needs invests and tackles deficit reduction in a balanced way. so the question suggests in

this country we even have the luxury of only doing one thing at a time and we don't and that's why, you know, given everything that is on our plate already and all the priorities that we in congress have already, we should not be creating crises unnecessarily that suck attention and time away from the priorities that we can and should be acting on. vacancies, a lot of nominations pending, how quickly does the president imagine congress will act on it and how much does concede the ability to act? >> when it comes to different agencies, obviously depends on what vacancies there are. the president moves in a very

deliberate fashion to nominate individuals for important posts and he'll continue to do that and we continue to call on congress -- the senate, rather -- to fulfill its responsibility to consider nominees and then give them a vote. we hope, again, if we can move past these crises and focus on other issues that this is one that can get some attention. scott. >> i just want to double check. you said the end of the day of tomorrow the borrowing authority runs out. >> that's correct. today is the last day that the united states treasury can borrow new money. sorry. sorry. tomorrow is the last day. >> more specific in an treasury has been with me. i want to make sure -- >> the countdown clocks are on. >> well, we obviously didn't create this countdown clock. if you look at what the treasury secretary has said, october 17, tomorrow, thank

you, october 17 is the day that borrowing authority is exhausted. so they have the authority to borrow tomorrow. >> inclusive. >> inclusive, as i understand it. >> just in case there is some -- >> and then after that, that borrowing authority no longer exists and it's a cash-on-hand situation. thanks very much, everybody. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] >> today's white house briefing with press secretary jay carney. all eyes on the house and senate with caucus meetings scheduled to take place. the house democrats meeting in the next hour. house republicans at 3:00 eastern time. move from one end of pennsylvania avenue to the u.s. capitol and joining us via covering eil who is this for c.q./"roll call."

walk us through the time line. some party meetings this afternoon and we did hear from an aide to senator schumer that the senate could be the first to vote on this sometime after the dinner hour -- house could vote on this sometime after the dinner hour. >> i was speaking with senator schumer briefly just about an hour ago and he said that that -- at that time the paperwork, the actual legislative drafting of the measure could be ready within the next few hours which would seem to put this on track for votes in the senate sometime around the dinner hour. obviously wanting to make sure perhaps that nothing goes awry, either the house democratic or more likely, i guess, republican conference meetings which is, as you say, are going on 2:00 for the democrats, 3:00 for the republicans. but it looks like it's going to be a glide path, at least in the senate, because we had

senator ted cruz who was considered by many to be the most likely to try and delay movement, saying basically it was time to move ahead with the vote although he would oppose the deal. he wasn't going to attempt to filibuster or anything like that. >> and one note about senator ted cruz in case you missed it, this editorial from "the houston chronicle," which endorsed the republican senator when he ran for his senate seat, this headline, though, from "the houston chronicle," kay bailey hutchison. >> although, niels, we did hear from senator cruz. he indicated he would not block any senate vote today or not tonight. >> that's right. and certainly, to follow on the

"houston chronicle" piece just a little bit, senator hutchison, now former senator hutchson, who is cruz's predecessor, was a completely different sort of styleistic operator, generally sometimes would be a moderate republican. she was a member of the appropriations committee and would be more apt to be party to the sort of agreement that is what we saw emerge from majority leader harry reid and minority leader mitch mcconnell just a couple hours ago. >> we're waiting for the ampaign -- conference taking place at the national press club. our cameras are there. and staking out meetings in the house, republicans and democrats, and when lawmakers come to the microphones there, we'll take you to those events live as well. in terms of the white house, we did get some word that the president may have a statement later today or tonight, but that seemed to be walked back a

little bit by press secretary jay carney waiting for the house and senate to do its business. >> right. it doesn't seem to be a logical move for the president to step in, particularly with the deal seeming to be at hand in terms mcconnell, at least, until both chambers act before the president moves in because he may have something that he has available to sign. now, we heard during that press briefing that jay carney was asked and was talking a little bit about why this goes from here. one of the things he pointed out was the prospects for a budget conference being set up as a result of these negotiations with a deadline to report in mid december. i have a story in "roll call" this morning that's also online saying that that's a tough road

in its own right because it brings us back to all the same sorts of revenue versus spending issues that we saw with the ill-fated supercommittee and all the other talks over the last several years. >> let me go to that point. -- why is this different? >> well, there is a shorter time which the debt limit gets hit again, so that's the real key bargaining chip at this point would be to get people come to the table. one-on-one side, the debt limit will again be reached and borrowing authority will be exhausted sometime on february 7 with some flexibility for the treasury department to take some actions to forestall that event. but the other thing is the date that the continuing resolution that's in this package expires s january 15 of 2014 which

oincides not all coincidentally, the budget cuts kicks in. so what we're seeing basically is there is a couple different sticks that come into play if they don't reach agreement if they make changes to entitlement programs or mandatory spending, farm bill, to avert the automatic budget cuts that would really hit the military in this case. lesniewski, your article in "roll call," this is something that noticeably congressman ryan and senator patty murray have been trying to work on in the last eight or nine months, can you explain? >> well what we saw in the spring was that the house and the senate obviously with the different majorities passed

diametrically opposed proposal outlines but they haven't been able to get into conference and that's largely been because that ironically where we are today that there was a concern among some senate republicans, senator cruz and the like, that that could be used as a vehicle to create an expedited process for raising the debt limit. now that that's now sort of off the table and into the next round, it doesn't look like there will be any objection to proceeding with the budget conference to try and hammer out a number between the house and the senate. particularly for appropriation bills, because the appropriations process is broken down this year in large part because the house and the senate have been working off of top line spending numbers in a are not nearly the same. as i noted in the piece, i heard from my sources that if a

top line spending number is reached, the appropriators could come up with an omnibus, that is a catch-all appropriation bill for the rest of the fiscal year, in the course of amount of months. it wouldn't be good for the staff and their families because they would be working over christmas and new year's but it would set a framework for the rest of the year. >> the headline from rollcall.com about two hours ago. senators reid and mcconnell announce a senate deal. in terms of moving ahead in the house, would this first go to the house rules committee and what does that do in terms of the timeline for a vote in the house of representatives? >> that's the ordinary expectation in this case that once the senate passes something, they get a -- the senate gets a timed agreement by unanimous consent and moves the matter through to final passage rather quickly. once the matter arrives in the

house, the physical papers are carried across the rotunda from one side of the capitol to the other, the rules committee will meet at some point and presumably, assuming it's all systems go and, you know, i point out there is still a house republican conference meeting between now and then, but if it is all systems go, the house rules committee probably reports out what's known as a closed rule, that doesn't allow anyone to offer any amendments and you have about maybe an hour of debate on the rule is typical and then an hour of debate on the bill itself is typical and then so then we're putting final passage sometime in the late evening. . >> in terms of reopening the government, if this is all worked out today, tonight, or early tomorrow morning, do federal employees go back tomorrow?