[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15849]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      OUR SACRED DUTY IS TO GOVERN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Wolf) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, in Luke 12:48, Jesus said:

       From everyone who has been given much, much will be 
     demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, 
     much more will be asked.

  The Congress and the President have been entrusted with much, namely, 
the responsibility to govern this country. The American people rightly 
expect us, regardless of party affiliation, to come together, 
especially during times of crisis, and find ways to get things done. 
They are understandably fed up with the current dysfunction, and I am, 
too.
  Each side thinks it's winning, but, in reality, the country and the 
American people are losing. Senate Chaplain Barry Black says there is a 
level of insanity involved in the current government shutdown. Asked 
what it would take to end the current impasse, the former Navy chaplain 
said, ``It's going to take humility.'' Wise words. Proverbs 16:18 says:

       Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a 
     fall.

  There is too much pride poisoning this debate. The American people 
should be the winner, not one party or the other, not the 
administration or the Congress. Shortsighted political victories aimed 
at capturing the latest headline in a 24-hour news cycle will not stand 
the test of time, nor will they be viewed well through the lens of 
history, especially if, on our watch, the trust that must exist between 
elected officials and the electorate is frayed beyond repair.
  For those of us who think ObamaCare is a disaster--and that is a 
growing number of people in our country--its future will not be decided 
by the shutting or opening of the government. In fact, the current 
failings of the system, including the widespread glitches plaguing the 
Web site, are not getting the news coverage they should because the 
story has become the shutdown. The public debate surrounding ObamaCare, 
which will undoubtedly be at the forefront in heading into the midterm 
elections, will play second fiddle until the government is once again 
operational.
  It also bears mentioning that, while important, ObamaCare must be 
placed in a larger context of the exploding national debt and deficit 
and unsustainable spending and entitlement programs set against the 
backdrop of a public discourse bereft of civility. Only through 
enacting reforms based on the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles recommendations 
will we ever solve the drivers of our deficits. We have put these tough 
but important reforms off for far too long.
  To my colleagues in the Congress and to President Obama who think 
they are ``winning'' at this particular moment, we would do well to 
remember the words of Napoleon Bonaparte in speaking of the changing 
nature of public opinion. Napoleon said:

       The crowd which follows me with adulation would run with 
     the same eagerness were I marching to the guillotine.

  I return again to the sentiments of Scripture: We have been given a 
great trust, and it is demanded of us to come together to solve these 
problems. It is time to show some humility. It is time to govern. Let's 
get the government back open, ensure we don't default on our debt, and 
then commit ourselves to curbing unsustainable entitlement spending.

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