Andy Barr: “I want to thank the gentlelady from Missouri for her leadership in leading this Special Order. Many Americans watching…”

“I want to thank the gentlelady from Missouri for her leadership in leading this Special Order. Many Americans watching on TV right now are frustrated. They are angry with what they are seeing in Washington. They don't understand why political conflict has to get in the way of solutions. They are saying, and they are saying to all of us, why are the politicians putting their political agendas ahead of what is good for the country? I share that frustration and anger, and I understand what they are saying. They are saying, why can't the politicians get their act together? Why can't they reopen the government and avert default? But you know, as important as it is to reopen the government, and as important as it is to avert a short-term default, and those are very critical, it is equally important that we stop business as usual in Washington. It is important that Members of Congress do what they were elected to do, which is exercise leadership, stand up for what is right and what is in the long-term best interest of the Nation. What is in the long-term best interest of the Nation is to stop spending money we don't have. It is to stop racking up mounds of debt to end the reckless practices in Washington that are literally mortgaging the future of our children and our grandchildren and pushing this country to the brink of national bankruptcy.…”