David Minge: “I represent an area that was affected by the shutdown of the flood relief program due to the delays in this institution.…”

“I represent an area that was affected by the shutdown of the flood relief program due to the delays in this institution. I think it is tragic that it happened. I know the folks at home think that we have rocks for brains out here. They cannot figure out what is wrong in Washington, DC. They were hit by a disaster when it flooded; they were hit by another disaster when the process out here was stymied. I am very pleased that this has finally been resolved. I am very pleased that in the upper Midwest we have stood together on this. I know that my colleague from South Dakota will be speaking, if he has not already this afternoon, and I am very pleased at the bipartisanship that was shown in that State and in other States to try to move this ahead. And I am pleased that the bipartisanship that was developed in the upper Midwest is contagious and it has finally come out to Washington. One thing I hope is that we have learned our lesson from this effort. It has been sobering. It has not been something that has just been blamed on the Democrats. All of us have taken our share of the blame, and I do not think we can stand it nor can our institutions anymore. We need to prove to this country that we can make government work.”