[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 149 (Wednesday, October 23, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CRUCIAL NEGOTIATIONS ON HOW TO RESOLVE BUDGET CHALLENGES

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                         HON. DAVID B. McKINLEY

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 23, 2013

  Mr. McKINLEY. Mr. Speaker, for months the President repeatedly 
pledged that he would initiate long overdue negotiations on matters 
ranging from tax reform to regulatory reform and work with Republicans 
on the flaws emerging with his health care law. His stipulation was 
that Congress must first reopen government and raise the debt limit. 
Consequently, Mr. Speaker, last week I voted to end the budget impasse 
and tentatively cooperate with the President. While this agreement does 
not solve our long term challenges, it does allow us to move forward 
and begin crucial negotiations on how to resolve our budget challenges.
  Throughout the fall, President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry 
Reid demanded a blank check and refused to negotiate. This plan is not 
a blank check. It was forged through negotiations and provides a short 
term extension for funding at lower spending levels than the Senate 
wanted. It includes a long overdue conference on a federal budget. The 
plan also includes a much needed change in the Affordable Care Act to 
ensure the income of individuals receiving subsidies is verified 
instead of relying on an honor system.
  Most importantly, the plan ensures a host of other negotiations 
pledged by the President will move forward so we can address our 
growing debt, improve our economy, and fix the problems with the health 
care law. President Obama has promised on numerous occasions that once 
the government was open and the debt ceiling was raised he would be 
willing to negotiate ``on anything.'' This includes the budget, 
economic reforms, entitlement programs, and even the health care law. 
In the next few months the American public should be keenly aware 
whether he does what he said he would do. Finally Congress can hold the 
President accountable for his pledge to negotiate with Congress over 
these impediments to economic recovery.
  Over the past several weeks, conservatives put up a strong fight to 
stop President Obama's health care law from being fully implemented. 
After trying to defund the law, delay it for a year, and ensure 
fairness so that members of Congress don't get special treatment, it 
became clear that our tactics weren't working and we needed to regroup.
  Given that Republicans are a minority in Washington we need to be 
realistic about what we can achieve. That does not mean we will give up 
the fight. We just need to be smart about where and when we choose to 
fight and pick battles we can win.
  As we move forward with negotiations over the budget and other 
issues, we need to focus on ways we can achieve our objectives. We need 
to seek true reforms that don't just put off hard decisions to the next 
crisis. The challenges we face--a weak economy, a growing debt, a 
health care law that isn't working--are too important to just push off 
into the future.
  The next step to overcome these challenges is for the President and 
Senator Reid to open the negotiations we were promised.

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