Take the Responsible Course

Floor Speech

Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, last night, as we were preparing to vote at an ungodly hour, I was receiving messages from friends from home who were concerned about the irresponsible nature of the leadership in this House in taking actions that would lead to the shutdown of our government.

One of the messages that was particularly important to me was from a dear friend who was waiting for midnight so that she could sign up for health care for her child. My friend Ellie's husband died at a very young age, unexpectedly, and left her alone with a young child. Her child has developmental issues and challenges, but he's done very, very well with a great deal of help, and he's gone off to college. She couldn't be more proud of him.

But the truth of the matter is she can't afford health insurance for her family. It's over a thousand dollars a month. She wrote to me:

I cannot wait until I can sign my family up for health care.

That's what today is about. We need to get the country back to work, open the government, and take the responsible course.

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