[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 133 (Tuesday, October 1, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6060]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, thank you to all my 
colleagues who've been trying to work hard to do what we came here to 
do, which is to govern. It's a disappointment to me that we're in a 
situation like this where government will begin to shut down.

                              {time}  1045

  That's not good for America, that's not good for our districts, and 
that's not good for the hardworking taxpayers of this country.
  But I got to see politics at its worst over the last few days. We put 
forth a solution to stop a government shutdown. We asked for some 
simple corrections, simple changes to a law that many in this country--
an overwhelming majority--say is going to be a train wreck. Even 
Democrats in the Senate say this law, as it is implemented, is going to 
be a train wreck.
  Why did we do it now? Because today is the day that the ObamaCare 
exchanges open. Our opportunity to fix the problems that even many on 
the other side of the aisle see may have ended today. That's why we 
sent a bill that said defund ObamaCare, like many Americans want, but 
avoid a government shutdown.
  The Senate said: We're not going to talk. We don't want to listen. So 
we said: Let's just delay it for a year, just like the President has 
delayed it for Big Business and many of his political allies. The 
Senate again said: No, we don't want to hear from you. We don't want to 
talk. And we said: Let's just delay the individual mandate, because the 
President and his political allies don't have to follow the law that 
was passed long before I got here. Again, the Senate said no.
  And what pains me the most as a brand-new Member of Congress is when 
we asked the Senate last night to keep the government open but get rid 
of their own special congressional perk--an exemption in their own 
health care plan--they again said no.
  That no was a thumb right at the American people. That no cut right 
through the fabric of our communities in this country when the Senate 
said they deserve a special perk more than anyone else in America. 
That's shameful.
  That's why we're here today. We've put forth the plans to keep 
government running. And I believe we are going to continue to do that 
on our side of the aisle. It's time for the American people to demand 
governing, not just out of our side of the aisle, but out of both sides 
of the aisle. We need to demand leadership out of this administration. 
We need to demand leadership from the Democrat-controlled Senate.
  What this has become is politics. It's become a blame game. Who's 
going to be blamed for this government shutdown? I guarantee both sides 
are going to be polling on this issue to determine who's going to get 
an advantage.
  Politics should not determine policy in this institution. Politics 
should not come before governing in this institution. And I think the 
American people should demand action from everyone, and they should 
demand it now.

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