[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 15169]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




MAKING WASHINGTON, D.C., LESS IMPORTANT AND LESS POWERFUL IN THE LIVES 
                              OF AMERICANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah 
(Mr. Stewart) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, this is a frustrating time in Washington. 
For the first time in 17 years, our government has been shut down. I 
believe the political gridlock is at a discouraging high mark. I 
empathize with those who are feeling its devastating effects, 
especially those hardworking people who have been affected by 
furloughs, including some members of my own family.
  So I rise today in defense of the American people and I ask one 
simple question: Why won't the President and Harry Reid sit down and 
talk to us? The American people are hurting. They want to see progress. 
They want to see us work and fix this in a bipartisan way. So why won't 
the President and the Senate leader sit down and engage us in a simple 
conversation? What are they afraid of?
  The President of the United States is the President of all of the 
people. He is not just the President of the Democratic Party. He is not 
just the President of those States in which he won. He is the President 
of the United States. He is the President of everyone. He owes it to 
the American people to listen to their voices. So let me ask again, 
what is he afraid of? Why won't he sit down and talk with us?
  I represent more than 700,000 people in my home State of Utah. They 
want the government to stay open, but they do not want ObamaCare. They 
know what a horrible piece of legislation it is. They know and they 
already see that it is destroying jobs. They know it is hurting working 
families. They know that it is driving up costs. They want the 
President to know this. They want Harry Reid to listen to their 
concerns, but both of them refuse to talk to us.
  So let me ask again, what are they afraid of? Are they afraid that 
they might be actually convinced that we are right? Are they afraid 
that they might have to compromise just a little? I am the father of 
six children. I know what it is like to have teenagers in the house. I 
know what happens when they get angry because they don't get their way. 
They run to their bedroom, they slam the door, and they refuse to come 
out and talk.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time for our President to take out his ear buds, 
to open the door, to come out and talk to us. He has canceled his trip 
to Asia. But I ask why, for what purpose, if he still refuses to come 
out and talk to us.
  My goal throughout the last several weeks has been to find a way to 
fund the government operations, other than ObamaCare, and to avoid a 
government shutdown. But once again, unfortunately, President Obama and 
Senator Reid have expressed no willingness, no willingness at all to 
compromise.
  We have to understand that we are engaged in a generational fight 
over our debt and spending as it goes far beyond ObamaCare. Our current 
national debt is approaching $17 trillion, and it is growing every 
moment. During this administration, we will more than double our 
national debt; but it doesn't just end there. This is about the reach 
of government into our lives, with ObamaCare just being one example of 
how our government has grown too large and too powerful. In addition, 
this law will come with something like a $1.3 trillion price tag. That 
is something that we simply can't afford.
  It is critical that we work together now to reduce the size and the 
power of government in our lives. House Republicans have repeatedly 
come to the table to negotiate over the past several weeks. So once 
again I ask, what are they afraid of? Why won't they sit down and talk 
to us? As a former President, one of my heroes, John F. Kennedy said, 
let us never fear to negotiate.
  Mr. Speaker, I will continue to do everything in my power along with 
my other colleagues to find a solution to reopen the government while 
fighting to make Washington, D.C., less important and less powerful in 
the lives of American citizens.

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