[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14866]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TAKE THE RESPONSIBLE COURSE

  (Ms. KUSTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, last night, as we were preparing to vote at 
an ungodly hour, I was receiving messages from friends from home who 
were concerned about the irresponsible nature of the leadership in this 
House in taking actions that would lead to the shutdown of our 
government.
  One of the messages that was particularly important to me was from a 
dear friend who was waiting for midnight so that she could sign up for 
health care for her child. My friend Ellie's husband died at a very 
young age, unexpectedly, and left her alone with a young child. Her 
child has developmental issues and challenges, but he's done very, very 
well with a great deal of help, and he's gone off to college. She 
couldn't be more proud of him.
  But the truth of the matter is she can't afford health insurance for 
her family. It's over a thousand dollars a month. She wrote to me:

       I cannot wait until I can sign my family up for health 
     care.

  That's what today is about. We need to get the country back to work, 
open the government, and take the responsible course.

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