Jerry Moran: “I thank the Senator for yielding. Mr. President, I come here tonight one more time. I am a very short term Member of the…”

“I thank the Senator for yielding. Mr. President, I come here tonight one more time. I am a very short term Member of the Senate--only about 3 months. Every time I have spoken on the Senate floor, I have talked about the importance of reining in spending. With the crippling nature of our national debt and the belief that if we don't resolve these issues, the future of our country is at stake, it is really one of the primary motivations I have for serving in this Congress: to see that we turn this country around for the benefit of our children and grandchildren. I think Kansans would say it is time for all Members of Congress to come together and fund the government. A shutdown demonstrates once again how we lack the ability or the desire to just use some common sense and reach a common goal. A primary function of Congress is to see that we appropriate the necessary funds to provide for government. Today, it seems to me we have come to the point at which this issue needs to be rapidly resolved. We are down to just a few billion dollars--and certainly a billion dollars is a lot of money to Kansans and to me, but we need to resolve this issue so we can move on to the more dramatic and important issue we face as Members of the Senate, as American citizens--that being next year's budget and the future of additional spending down the road.…”