Time to Get America Back to Work

Floor Speech

Mr. BERA of California. Mr. Speaker, it is day No. 10. Mr. Speaker, today is day No. 10 of a government shutdown, a totally unnecessary government shutdown. This is a manufactured crisis, Mr. Speaker. It is time that we open the government back up.

Mr. Speaker, if our leadership is not able to get together, if the House, the Senate, and the President are not able to sit at the table, then maybe it is time to turn to rank-and-file Members.

This morning over 50 of us came together, Democrats and Republicans, from all over America, from Kansas, from New York, from Florida, from California. We came together not to fight, but we came together to fix problems. We came together as no-labels problem-solvers.

Mr. Speaker, we are ready to get America back to work. We are ready to start moving this country forward. We need to start solving problems, Mr. Speaker, and I would suggest that there is an easy three-step solution to get the country back on track.

Mr. Speaker, number one, let's open up the government.

Mr. Speaker, number two, let's pay our bills. We have always done that. So let's raise the debt ceiling.

Number three, let's come together as Democrats and Republicans and let's negotiate. Let's actually put a real budget together, a budget that starts to address our debt and the deficit; a budget that starts to make sure what we hand off to our children and grandchildren is the same as the country we inherited from our parents and grandparents--a country that thrives, a country that leads the world.

We have to get serious about the challenges that we face and we have to stop these manufactured crises. We have to stop the bickering. This is divided government. It means Democrats and Republicans coming together.

Mr. Speaker, I urge you to join with the no-labels problem-solvers and do what our motto is, let's fix problems, not fight. We are ready to go and get America back to work.

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