mr. bennet: thank you, madam president. before he leaves the floor, i just want to thank the senator from oklahoma for his commitment to this issue, for his candor. we don't necessarily agree on every single thing but i do know he's a man of great conviction and we're lucky to have him in the senate. and it's my hope that we can get to a place where we actually are together addressing these budget issues in a way that's not management by crisis or one across-the hive boar-board cut r another but actually is a thoughtful cut to relieve our children and grandchildren. so i thank my colleague. i came to the floor after the senator from oklahoma described today as a day of petty kindergarten games to talk about a place where they're not playing those right now. and that's a town inly come that in coloradothat i represent, whs called estes park, which has been a beacon of resilience. it's northwest of boulder. it's the gateway to rocky mountain national park. i can see from the president's reaction that she may have been there.

mr. bennet: thank you, madam president. i'd like to first say how much i appreciate the words of the senator from virginia and the words of the senator from montana. they are known to be commonsense people, to work in a bipartisan way, day after day after day in this congress against all odds to actually try to make something work around this place. i want to thank you for your leadership and for your comments. this morning for four years, madam president, i've come to this floor at about this time of the year and talked about how washington has become the land of flickering lights. where the standard of success is not how we're imagining the future and what we're doing for the next generation of americans, but that we're managing after a little bit of aggravation and hostility to keep the lights on for one more month, or six more months. well, this time we are not the land of flickering lights. the lights are out in washington. they've managed to shut the government down. no mayor, no school superintendent, no city council

mr. chairman, i yield back. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from colds, senator bennet. >> thank you, mr. foreman. i say thanks because i was worried # the person dead last on this side that it met i was going to have to wait until the very end on the back and forth and back and forth. i appreciate it. i thank you for it. i would have had a great education, though, if you had kept me until the end, and i want to thank you and the ranking member for your leadership. we have appreciated it and admired it in our chamber, and also chairwoman stabenow for your effort and sustained effort in getting us to this point. i feel privileged as others have said to be part of the farm bill conference committee and join those who said this is the way we should should be doing our wn congress. this is the way we are going to be able to regain the confidence of the american people, not with the rock throwing and brick throughing and the screaming, but working together in a bipartisan, bicameral way, and that is the expectation of our farmers and ranchers. the farmers and ranchers in rural communities driving color