Joaquin Castro: “Thank you, Congressman Garamendi, and thank you, Congressman Tonko and Congressman Ryan, for your very eloquent words in…”

“Thank you, Congressman Garamendi, and thank you, Congressman Tonko and Congressman Ryan, for your very eloquent words in describing the situation that we face today. I, like millions of Americans, hope that there will not be a government shutdown. I hope that we can get past the hostage politics that have prevailed over this place over the last few years. This is no way to run a government. Our Nation is the strongest nation on Earth, and we are the most exceptional nation on Earth. These wounds are self- inflicted ones. I have said many times and have heard from my constituents that all of these fiscal fights, these self-inflicted wounds by Congress--when we get up to the limit where we are supposed to pass a budget or we are supposed to raise the debt ceiling limit--are causing the Nation high blood pressure. They are affecting the market in negative ways. The stock market is taking a hit. Our employment rates are taking a hit. In every way, this has been bad for the country. I would also remind our Members of Congress and the American people about what happened the last time brinksmanship was tried. The last time this happened, the sequester resulted--a bad way to do business. I think people on both sides of the aisle would agree that the sequester did not turn out well for our Nation, but that's the same road we are headed down again. The Republicans are taking us down the same road that gave us the sequester--the Budget Control Act.…”