Budget Negotiations

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today in shock and anger that, after weeks of negotiations, after pledges from Republicans to come to the table in good faith, after repeated assurances that they want to talk about principles and budget numbers and not politics, after all the hot rhetoric we have heard about concern for our troops and our workers and that the veterans will be hurt, Republicans have decided to hold the Federal budget hostage to their extreme social agenda. It is now clear that this is not a debate in the last hours before this government shuts down about how much to cut. It is about whether women in this country will have access to basic health care services.

As a woman, as a mother, as a grandmother, I find that appalling. They can say whatever they want to on the other side, but if they want to say this is about numbers, then I challenge them to say title X is off the table. For millions of women in this country, and men, their only access to preventive health care services, pregnancy diagnosis, counseling, preventive health services, cervical and breast cancer screening, sexually transmitted disease and HIV transmission prevention and education, a broad range of access to contraceptive methods--that is what Republicans now, in the 11th hour, are holding hostage to a government shutdown. I don't think anyone in America thought this election was about that.

We heard the promises about the economy, about cutting budgets, about fiscal concerns, but we never heard from anyone that they would be willing to shut down this government and put this country at risk over an ideological debate about women's health care.

I have three words for them: Women aren't pawns. We will not be pawns in this debate and we will not give in. The access to these critical services is so important to so many young women in this country. I told the story and I will tell it again. A few days ago I heard from a young woman in my State who, at 18-years-old, had to leave an extremely abusive family situation, out on the street on her own. She had cervical cancer that runs in her family. The only way she was able to get the medication and care she needed was through title X Federal funding through clinics in her State.

She and 5 million others in this country depend on that, and we are going to take this away at the 11th hour, in order to get an agreement? Not on my watch. Not on the watch of millions of American families in this country who know that access to women's health care is basic to them and their families and their communities. What kind of country are we, that at the 11th hour on a debate like this, the issue remaining is about women's health care? I find that stunning.

Families across my State are hurting. They have lost their jobs, they are worried about getting a pink slip, their home prices have dropped, they are worried about making their mortgage, and this debate now has come to this? An issue of access to title X funding for preventive health care for women? We need to focus on the economy. Yes, there are going to be some budget cuts in this that are going to be extremely hard for me and others who care about investing in education and jobs, but we know we have to come to an agreement. But we will not let women be used as pawns in this debate at this 11th hour. We are not going to allow this debate to end by cutting off funding for health clinics across America that are often the only place for low-income women.

In my State of Washington over 100,000 patients depend on these clinics to provide prevention. Over 3 million Americans do nationwide. We are not going to let the threat of a shutdown make us fade away. Women are going to stand tall, and men with them, across the country, to say: Not on our watch. Women are not pawns.

I yield the floor.

END

Source