Michael Bennet: “During the course of this shutdown--what has now become the longest shutdown in American history--there are a lot of…”

“During the course of this shutdown--what has now become the longest shutdown in American history--there are a lot of people around the country wondering about what has been at stake in this debate and in this argument. And I think, with every day that has gone by, it has become clearer and clearer what is at stake. I have heard my Republican colleagues, including the leader of the Republican Party in the Senate, come to the floor to say, over and over again, that not a single Republican in this Chamber, not a single Republican in the United States Congress, voted for the Affordable Care Act when we passed it in 2010. And for them, that is a badge of honor. That is a badge of honor that they recall from the last extensive debate we had around here about healthcare. I deeply regret the fact that they are so proud of not having voted for the Affordable Care Act. It is true that there was not a single Republican in the Congress that voted for that bill. And that bill was far from perfect--I will admit that.”