Joe Manchin: “I think we all appreciate so much the passion and compassion our colleague from Louisiana has for the people of…”

“I think we all appreciate so much the passion and compassion our colleague from Louisiana has for the people of America--not just the people of Louisiana but all over America. I thank her for taking this fight and making sure people understand what we are fighting for. Being one of the other centrists in this body--and I think we have a majority right now--three of us--I appreciate all of us being in attendance. I rise today to address the enormous frustration the American people must feel witnessing their government and their leaders engaging in another futile political exercise. Our government is being driven--and I agree with the Senator from Louisiana that we are not going to shut down over this, but it is unbelievable to get into the fuss we are in right now, to make people believe we could come to the brink of another when we just went through this bloody mess in August. There is not a State in this great Nation that has not suffered the terrible tragedy and cost of a natural disaster. While there are many government programs and issues we should vigorously debate, we surely cannot question the responsibility of government to help our communities in their darkest moments. In the America I believe in, we don't look the other way when a community is suffering from the pain of a natural disaster. We stand to offer a helping hand.…”