Default Prevention Act of 2013--Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

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Ms. AYOTTE. Madam President, I have come to the floor a number of times during this government shutdown to say how absurd this has been for the American people, that we have found ourselves where we are, to have the government shut down, and those who brought forward a strategy to defund ObamaCare--the exchanges have opened anyway. That is why I never supported this strategy, because I did not think it was smart for the country, or achievable.

We have been coming up against the debt ceiling issue, so I come to the floor today, after having come to the floor on several occasions, expressing my concerns and frustration.

I thank our leader Mitch McConnell and the majority leader Harry Reid for coming together around an agreement ending the shutdown, to address the debt ceiling, even if on a short-term basis, so we can get out of the hole we are in, and start to deal with the big-picture problems facing the Nation.

Around this, I was very heartened that a bipartisan group of Senators came together to solve this problem, led by Senator Collins from Maine, and seven Republicans and seven Democrats. Let me say among the 7 Democrats was my colleague from New Hampshire Senator Shaheen, who I see in the Chamber. If the Chair would recognize Senator Shaheen, I want to thank her, because what we have been able to do in New Hampshire is that she and I, even though we come from opposite sides of the aisle, have been able to find ways to work together on behalf of our State and on behalf of the country.

She was in this group of seven Senators as a Democrat, I was there as a Republican, both representing the State of New Hampshire, ready with an agreement to solve this crisis. So I want to recognize my colleague and thank her for being part of a group that wanted to solve these problems for the Nation.

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Ms. AYOTTE. Let me say to my colleague from New Hampshire, the senior Senator from New Hampshire, I agree with that. We cannot go through this again. It is incumbent on all of us to work together even though we come from different parties so that we do not go from crisis to crisis in managing this Nation.

I do hope with this agreement we are able to come to a longer term budget for the Nation, a longer term fiscal agreement for the Nation to address our $17 trillion debt, to address the challenges facing our economy, to work together to show people we can solve problems on behalf of this country, and that we can make sure we are not continuing to go from crisis to crisis as we represent New Hampshire and this Nation.

I know both of us joined that group because we had had it with what was happening here and we were ready to solve the problems together.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. I thank my friend and colleague from New Hampshire.

Ms. AYOTTE. Madam President, I want to continue to thank the Senators on both sides of the aisle. We were working together with our leadership. I mentioned this was an effort led by Senator Collins, Senator Murkowski from Alaska, Senator McCain, Senator Johanns, Senator Kirk, Senator Flake, on the Republican side of the aisle, and on the Democratic side of the aisle, Senator Manchin, Senator Begich, Senator Pryor, Senator Shaheen, Senator Klobuchar, Senator Donnelly, Senator Heitkamp, and we were even tripartisan because we had Senator King with us as well in these efforts.

I think what we demonstrated is we can come together as a core group. When things break down here, there are many of us who desire to solve the problems facing the Nation. We know we cannot do it with one party alone. It took two parties to get us $17 trillion in debt; it is going to take two to get us out of this hole. Just like this fiscal crisis, it takes two parties to get us out and solve the Nation's problems. I think that is what we learned from this experience. I want to thank those who have worked so hard on it.

Let me say: I am blessed to be a mother. My children just turned 6 and 9 years old during this whole crisis situation. It has been hard to get home during this time. My family is still in New Hampshire. I still live in New Hampshire. My daughter Kate asked me: Mom, why can't you just get the government open? What is wrong? Well, why can't you get this solved?

It is a such a commonsense question that I got from her and from our son Jacob. Think about the lessons we try to teach our children. Are we not always trying to teach them that when they get into a conflict, you have to work it out? That, yes, you do not get to get everything your way, that it is not always your way.

Well, those are the lessons I think all of us, regardless if we are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, try to teach our children. So I found myself in a hard position here where she is asking me the tough question. I had to say to her: You are right, Kate, we have to work together; otherwise, we are not going to get this solved.

Even though I feel very strongly about my principles, I know my Democratic colleagues do also. What kind of lesson am I showing if I cannot help get this resolved? That is why I was proud to be part of a bipartisan agreement.

Let me bring us back to why we got into this government shutdown for a moment, because the other thing, being a mother of two children, when something goes wrong, I always ask my children when they make a mistake: What did you learn from this? What was the lesson you learned from the mistake?

I did not believe the defunding ObamaCare strategy was going to succeed from the beginning, not because I am not a strong opponent of ObamaCare. I absolutely am. But the fact of the matter was that the government shut down and the exchanges opened anyway. Yet the government was shut down, and we put all of those people who were worried about whether they were going to get their paychecks, veterans worried about what is going to happen--we can go on and on. I have heard the impact in my State.

By the way, all the flaws those of us believe that do exist in ObamaCare were all overshadowed by the fact that the government was shut down.

I do want to fix this law. I want to repeal it. I want to replace it with commonsense reform. But this was not a strategy to make that happen.

I guess I would ask the question that I ask to my children: What did we learn from all of this? What we learned is this was not a successful strategy from the beginning. That, yes, you can be against ObamaCare, as I am. I am for repealing it and replacing it. But shutting down the government was not a smart strategy and not the right direction. I hope we never do this again. I hope we learned our lessons. I ask my children to do that, I am going to ask myself to do it, and I am going to ask others to do it.

Let's move forward. Let's work together. Let's find ways--as we get to January when the funding for the government expires again, and February, let's take on the big challenges facing this Nation, the $17 trillion in debt.

Let's get a budget for the Nation. Let's move forward from here, learn our lessons, work together, and get it done for the American people.

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