Jon Tester: “I rise today to address a frustrating situation that has brought us here today. For months I have been calling on…”

“I rise today to address a frustrating situation that has brought us here today. For months I have been calling on Congress to come to the middle and negotiate a responsible budget deal that works for the American people, but time and time again, whether it was in the Appropriations Committee or here on the Senate floor, Members of this body refused to have a conversation about how to do that. They dug their heels in and said: It is my way or the highway. Now here we are, down to the wire, and they finally realize that sequestration is damaging. It is something that we have been saying from day one. Unfortunately, it cost the Speaker of the House his job, it wasted months of time, and it continued to erode what is left of the faith that the American people have in Congress. Coming from Montana, I find this incredibly frustrating. Folks back home are reasonable. They talk to their neighbors even if they don't agree with them. They compromise, negotiate, give a little, and most of the time they get a lot. This body could learn a lot from my constituents. The Senate was designed to be a deliberative body. It was supposed to be a place where conversations and compromise happen, where we reach across the aisle and partner with our colleagues with whom we might not always agree. That kind of bipartisanship requires more time, harder work, and tougher conversations.…”