[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 155 (Thursday, October 22, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S7428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                    THE DEBT AND GOVERNMENT FUNDING

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the day before yesterday I surprised some by 
saying nice things about Congressman Paul Ryan, and they said nice 
things about him. Since then, a handful of people have demanded to know 
why we would ever say nice things about a man who has attacked 
Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, as he has done in recent 
history. The answer is very simple. Democrats need, our country needs, 
responsible Republican negotiating partners if Congress is to avoid 
twin challenges facing us in the coming weeks: avoiding the first-ever 
default in the full faith and credit of the United States and 
preventing another government shutdown. We need someone to deal with. 
We must avoid the self-inflicted wounds that have typified the rule of 
House Republicans and certainly Senate Republicans.
  In spite of our ideological differences, in my view, Congressman Ryan 
is the only House Republican, whom I am aware of, with real potential 
to impose a basic modicum of order in the House of Representatives and 
work with us to avoid default and another government shutdown. He has 
helped in the past, and I am confident he could in the future if he 
chooses to.
  To my allies, rest assured that I will continue to oppose Congressman 
Ryan's plans to privatize Medicare and slash Social Security. I have 
said the Ryan budget would lead to a ``Kochtopia,'' and I believe that 
to be truer now than ever before.
  Congressman Ryan also coauthored the Murray-Ryan budget compromise. 
That was good work. House Chairman Ryan and Senate Chair Murray, Budget 
chairs, did a very good job. He appears to be supportive of 
comprehensive immigration reform, and he joined Democrats in saying 
America's auto industry and financial system should be saved.
  Maybe the problems are too deep to resolve any time soon. I hope not. 
I am concerned that we have already seen Congressman Ryan prove 
incapable of reining in members of the so-called Freedom Caucus. I hope 
that is not a sign of things to come, but with the stakes as high as 
they are, we owe it to the American people to pursue the most 
responsible path, and that will be it. Now is the time to rebuild a 
system where ``compromise'' is no longer considered a dirty word and 
where Republicans and Democrats work side-by-side to address the 
challenges our government faces. However, one of the conditions 
Congressman Ryan has given House Republicans is that he doesn't want to 
work weekends. Well, if he gets the job, I hope he will not take 
weekends off until we do something to solve the debt crisis and to fund 
the government.

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