[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 134 (Wednesday, October 2, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    WE NEED LEADERSHIP IN THE HOUSE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Bera) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BERA of California. Mr. Speaker, it's day number two of a 
government shutdown. The American public is watching, and they're not 
happy with what they're seeing.
  Mr. Speaker, you are the leader of this body, the House of 
Representatives. You're the Speaker of the House. This is a House 
that's made up of both Democrats and Republicans. We need leadership at 
this juncture; and, Mr. Speaker, you are the one person who can bring 
it, but you're not showing that leadership. You need to take Democratic 
and Republican ideas and help us move forward.
  I'm here to work. I'm a freshman, and I came here with the mandate to 
get Washington working again, to get people working again. That's what 
I intend to do. But, Mr. Speaker, you've got to reach out to Democrats 
and invite us in to bring our ideas forward. You are the one person who 
can do it.
  I talk to my colleagues on the Republican side, and I'll talk to the 
Republicans right now. We want to get the country moving forward, but 
we can come up with the best ideas possible, and there's only one 
person who can bring that legislation to the floor. Mr. Speaker, that's 
you. We need leadership at this juncture, and the country is watching. 
Enough with the Washington politics.
  We hear that you may shut the government down to play more Washington 
politics for 17 days to tie this to the faith and credit of the United 
States of America. You are the one person who's going to do that, Mr. 
Speaker. Don't take us down that path. Too many Americans are 
suffering.
  We need leadership at this juncture, Mr. Speaker. There is a clean 
funding bill on your desk. Bring it to the floor. Bring it to the floor 
and let us have a chance to vote up or down. That's regular order. Give 
us a chance. It will keep government open for 6 or 10 weeks. But give 
us a chance to vote up or down on that. If the Republicans don't like 
it, fine. They're going to vote against it. But give us a chance to 
bring it to the floor. And it's not a bill that Democrats like, but we 
understand it'll keep the government open and it'll give us a chance to 
do what we were elected to do--pass a real budget, put a budget 
together.
  Mr. Speaker, enough is enough with the Washington politics. Now 
you're going to continue playing politics and bring little pieces of 
legislation here and there forward when what we need is a big plan and 
leadership. Bring the funding bill to the floor. Let's continue to pay 
our debt and let's keep moving forward, because people are hurting.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm a doctor. The oath I took has two critical elements. 
One is to do good. Well, Mr. Speaker, right now you are not doing any 
good. You are not doing the American public any good. And to do no 
harm--the failure of this body and you to bring this legislation to the 
floor for us to vote on is doing irreparable able harm.
  And as a doctor, do you know what's happening to the NIH? Do you know 
that they have to turn patients away--patients who have no place else 
to go? This is their last-ditch effort to get in there. That isn't what 
we do in America.
  Mr. Speaker, you're the one person who can bring this legislation to 
the floor--and do it.
  As a doctor, do you know what's happening in the CDC? We're about to 
enter flu season. God forbid we have an epidemic of anything. They're 
laying off almost 70 percent of their staff. This is putting America in 
harm's way.
  Mr. Speaker, do what my oath says as a doctor: do good and do no 
harm. Right now, you are doing the exact opposite.
  Let's get Washington working again, and let's put the American people 
first. We the people. This is the United States of America, united. 
That means we've got to come together as a country and put the people 
first.
  Mr. Speaker, the American public is watching you.

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