Annie Kuster: “Because some in Washington insist on putting ideology ahead of common sense, we are in the midst of a government…”

“Because some in Washington insist on putting ideology ahead of common sense, we are in the midst of a government shutdown that will hurt real people in my State of New Hampshire. Shutting down our government hurts our economy; it hurts job creation; it hurts our veterans; it hurts small businesses; and it hurts middle class families. We owe our constituents much, much better than this, like Joe, who called my office this morning from Afghanistan. The line was a bit crackly, but this is Joe's message to me today: Support access to affordable health care for all Americans and open our government. Joe said to me this morning: I am over here working hard for my family and my country. Please, I'm asking you to do the same. So Joe, today we owe it to you. Let's gather together and pass a responsible bill that will fund the government and then refocus our attention on the needs of our country. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Members are reminded to direct their remarks to the Chair. ____________________”