ms. ayotte: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. ms. ayotte: thank you, madam president. with humility and a deep sense of reverence for this body, i rise today to address my colleagues in the senate. serving in this historic chamber is truly an honor. on this floor, men and women of strong character gather together to work on the unfinished work of building a more perfect union. it is an even greater privilege to stand here representing the people of new hampshire, a place of distinct beauty that places a premium on self-governance and informed public discourse. new hampshire reflects the very best of our nation. as america faces enormous challenges, i am reminded of the words of wisdom from one of new hampshire's revered statesmen, general john stark. after fighting bravely and heroically in the revolutionary war, general stark gave new hampshire its treasured state motto: live free or die. this famous quote perfectly captures the spirit and character of the people of the granite state. fiercely independent and strongly protective of o

ms. ayotte: thank you very much, mr. president. mr. president, i have been carefully listening to the speeches of my colleagues, including the statements of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and i feel compelled to come to the floor to speak about what i believe is a red herring and a political ploy. this debate is not about women. as the mother of two children, one of them being my six-year-old daughter, i believe it is unfair and inaccurate to say that this is about women and their health. let's be clear on how we got to this point. last year, even though they majorities in both houses, the democrats failed to pass a budget for 2011 or even a single appropriations bill. and now the house has passed full funding for our military for the rest of this fiscal year and funding for the rest of our government for one week to allow us to resolve the remaining issues. that proposal doesn't even cut title 10 funding. yet we have heard from speaker after speaker from the other side come to this floor and mischaracterize the potentia