Barbara Boxer: “I thank my colleague from Louisiana. I am so appreciative of her because she is telling it like it is. She is sincere.…”

“I thank my colleague from Louisiana. I am so appreciative of her because she is telling it like it is. She is sincere. She cares about her State. Let me reassure her, she and I do not agree in terms of the parameters of oil drilling and Keystone and other issues. That has nothing to do with our friendship. But the Senator is exactly right. She deserves to have the permits run through the process. It is ridiculous. Just as the roadbuilders are waiting to have the EPA finish the environmental studies so they can get these roads--this government shutdown is brutal. The reason I am rising--very briefly because I want to leave time for my friend from Oregon to say a few words--is because I wish to be so crystal clear to the people who might be watching us on this unusual Saturday session. We are in the midst of a Republican government shutdown. I am going to say that again. We are in the midst of a Republican shutdown of the government of the United States of America. The Senate passed a clean bill to reopen the government. It is sitting over there at Speaker Boehner's House, and he is blocking all ability to open this government. That is No. 1. Now we are getting frighteningly close to a default. We are getting very close to the point where America will not be able to pay its bills. The cost of that to our Nation, to our people, to our reputation, to our economy, to our taxpayers cannot be overstated: disaster.…”