Al Franken: “I rise today to talk about the cost of the Federal Government shutdown, including a cost we don't talk about-- the…”

“I rise today to talk about the cost of the Federal Government shutdown, including a cost we don't talk about-- the opportunity cost. The fact is we are paying a huge price for what we are not doing here in Washington while so much of our time and energies are spent on this totally unnecessary shutdown. Americans are rightly looking at Congress and saying: What are you guys doing? Why are you hurting people? Why are you hurting families? Why are you impeding our economic recovery? They are also asking: Why aren't you working on what we send you there to do--on creating jobs, on improving our educational system, on addressing our Nation's long- term fiscal sustainability? Last weekend, I came to the floor to talk about the effect of this shutdown on individual Minnesotans. I receive e-mails from people who are hurting. Let me read from a few. I will not read them in full because of time. Charlotte from Duluth writes: Senator Franken: Veterans' benefits are important to me, and I want to tell you my story. I have three children and my spouse who currently attends college, we just got into the hud-vash program. The HUD-VASH program is a program that provides housing assistance and support services for homeless veterans and their families. Charlotte continues: We thought it was a miracle to not be homeless. Now we are facing the same thing, no check, no schooling.…”