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




                DAY NUMBER 14 OF THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Bera) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BERA of California. Mr. Speaker, day No. 14.
  Mr. Speaker, today is the 14th day of the government shutdown, and we 
are 1 day closer to defaulting on our debt. Mr. Speaker, we've never 
not paid our bills as Americans--as Americans, we always pay on time--
but we are 1 day closer to a manufactured crisis. We've got to stop 
this.
  Mr. Speaker, now is the time for leadership. Enough with the games, 
enough with the name-calling, and enough with the finger-pointing. We 
have to come together as Democrats and Republicans and put the country 
first.
  Mr. Speaker, you are the Speaker of this House. This House has both 
Democrats and Republicans, and you need to lead us. It's that time. I 
will make a quick suggestion. Here is what you can do in three easy 
steps:
  Step No. 1, open the government;
  Step No. 2, let us pay our bills; and
  Step No. 3, let's negotiate. Let's come together as Democrats and 
Republicans and negotiate a real budget that starts to address our 
debt. Let's make sure we don't leave our children and grandchildren a 
mountain of debt. Let's do what our parents and grandparents always 
did, which was to leave the country better off for the next generation.
  That is what it takes--leadership. Mr. Speaker, now is the time for 
that leadership. You are the Speaker of this House, and we need you to 
lead us as Democrats and Republicans. America is watching, and we need 
to put the people's interests first.

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