I am amazed that after this conference passed unanimously, the senate has unanimously, and the president signed instructions that our military and civilian contractors should be held harmless in this entire shutdown that after a week we are still waiting for them to implement the law that was put to place a week ago. They are allowing us to have more and more pain specifically in the military. All of us agreed together that they would be held harmless entirely. It is very frustrating that we even have to pass something for them to practice their religious faith. It is essential part of their life. For the administration to pull back and say there are places where you will not have worship on a weekend is absolutely unacceptable. The glad we passed that in house today. Hopefully the senate will take that out. This is something we have to d we have to do. Make sure we are continuing to looking at the intent. The republican position has continued to be no special treatment under the law. No special treatment under obamacare. Been that theas administration continues to get special treatment to big business and special interest and have left working middle class americans out. Our position is to get in the same treatment. Position has been we do not think it is proper for members of congress to have special treatment under the law. I asked my friends in the media to look at the boats we have taken. 57 democrats have voted with us on a bipartisan way. To ease the pain of the shutdown. I would implore my friends in the media to ask harry reid why he did not bring up any of these bills. I think there is a majority of senators susan ward these hills to ease the pain senators to support these hills to ease the pain while we wait for the president to join us in these discussions. This stuff that you do not find worthy . Fund thee committed to areas of government that we all agree on, which is a lot more than not. As you know, the disagreement is on the special treatment under obama care. Our position is very simple. Underno special treatment the law. It is to delay the individual maindate. Americansddleclass subject to the tax and penalties but not big is this . Business . That is not fair. Is the senateeen refuse to take the bills up and try to vent their anger and impose that on the american oh. We are trying to ease the pain. There is a majority of senators who would say we really believe that Sick Children ought to have access to Clinical Trials. We believe that poor women and children should have the assistance they need. We do not believe they should be put through this pain. To ask theou majority leader why he is not taking these bills up. The majority of the senate wants to take the bills out. To would any house be able get a vote on that . There has been no roll call votes in the senate. Have a lot inwe common. I think most American People do not tolerate the fact that this president has continued to insist that she is not going to talk. If you saw james a bakers comments, he said it was an utter failure of president ial leadership for this president to sit on the sidelines to issue warnings and to stare at the markets and public about this. If something were to happen, he could say i told you so. That is not leadership. It is that in willingness to sit down and talk to us that has wrought about the shutdown. We will continue to the here this weekend and we are any are willinghat they to sit down and talk with us so we can relieve the pain on the american will thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2013] likes you just heard from House Republicans. Now the Democrats Holding their own press conference earlier. Your calls oning the shutdown after this conference. This is about 40 minutes. It is still morning. Good morning, everyone. We have some news for you today. That is what we think we have every day. You do not always agree. Today marks the fifth day of the Government Shutdown. Ifs could be over in hours the republicans would just take yes those quote for an answer for an answer incentive being the party of no. Republicans have said no each time. Two in the republican shut down sounds theirave names to a letter reaffirming our commitment for a clean, continuing resolution. This is not been easy for our members. They are willing to do so. Side, theublican republican members have come forward to say theyre willing to vote to reopen government. Enough republicans have publicly stated their support for a bill that could pass and be on the residence desk today. Were asking them to bring up a boat to the floor for the there is a to show bipartisan majority to end the republican Government Shutdown. If that were not newsworthy enough, 200 democrats have signed a letter and others that will vote with us do not philosophically sign letters, at the speaker said he wanted regular order. He said that all along. He wanted regular order. House passesen the a bill, which it did, and the Senate Passes a bill, which it has, then you go to conference. Said, why are you not appointing this to the budget conference . His statement was under the appoint them, the minority has a right to offer motions to construct which become politically motivated bombs to throw on the house floor. To be frank with all of you, we are following what i would describe as a resident order. Him, thenk with regular order is not how he defines it. Memberhe rules, any would have the privilege to bring up the senate position. In public and otherwise, they said his concern was a motion to instruct. If you agree to pass a short term bill and move the conference to the final Budget Discussion for this fiscal year, we will not offer any motion to abstract. This is news. Please recognize it as such. The speaker said that is his concern. We want to take that concern off the table. Today we are giving republicans to endther opportunity their shutdown. The opportunity that the speaker has been asking for. We have accepted the number, as it am as unpleasant as it is for us to do, we have agreed to not offer motions to abstract and we have voted to pay the federal employees for not working. Why dont we pay them for working by opening government . Thean have it open over weekend in full force by monday. They want to work. The American People want government to be open. It is on in everyones interest that they except our offer of 200 votes. All they need is a couple dozen republican votes. We have procedurally try to accommodate and allayed their concerns. Lets open government. Give us a book. Thank you very much. This is an important tool of the minority. And for that matter anyone else in the house. To tell the Conference Committee what they should do. He speaker has asked rest a concern about that. I think his concern is with theent transparency that the republicans want to bring to the house. Notwithstanding that and how is to thethis device majority minority and majority, we are saying that we will not do that. Will plays politics with this. We have no intention of doing this. Forant to encourage them encouraging the speaker. That should not be and will not be a concern of them or a reason for them to delay going to conference on the budget. The fifth day of a shutdown. Pay thejust voted to employees as we should have. The American Public wants bit government open. The speaker needs to bring a. Ill to the floor a lesser indicate that clearly in my view there are enough governmentass on the opening on the government funding bill. We will do so at the republican suggested number of dollars. Theres no argument about dollars. Democrats are ready to help end the shutdown by voting for the senates bill which put the peoples Government Back to work here at republicans have voted seven times to block the senate bill to reopen government from the house floor. While i am pleased that the pay, just voted to restore it is time to get them back to work as well. Democrats have arty compromise by the funding level. We are ready as we have been four months. Many have said we need an agreement. He is going to outline the significant issues that need to be discussed. I believe this to mr. Van hollen. I want to thank the leader for taking this initiative with which all of us agree. Is critical for our national security, economy, and for the confidence of the American People that we get their Government Back to work working discusseds we differences between the two parties in reaching compromise which is so essential in any democracy. Let me yield to my friend the assistant leader. Thank you for yielding. Spent the better part of this week doing something which i do not believe should be the prerogative of the members of congress. Picking winners and losers. That to me is very unfortunate. It is unfortunate because brian carter, a name we have all gotten to know, may not be the face of what were doing here this week but he is in fact the storyline. Brian carter was seriously because he days ago was protecting the members of us from, protecting those we may not get a chance to know. Unfortunately, brian was working, providing that protection for no pay. That is a storyline of what this is all about. I spoke with brian several times. Want us to be supporting him. Over his spouse and his siblings. Backst voted to give him that pay when all of this comes to a close. What are we doing for his spouse and siblings . Comfortablefeel we are not providing Educational Needs and services to his children and grandchildren. Congress ought not be in the business of picking winners and losers. Certainly we ought not be doing things that pitt family against family. Yieldhat i would like to to the chair of our Budget Committee. Thank you. The pointstart with that leader nancy pelosi made about the action that we took the house of representatives. I think we all agree that no one should be made to suffer for actions that are no fault of their own. It was totally appropriate that the house of representatives in that dedicated federal workers who are among the many innocent victims of the government shut down will be held harmless and the long run. That was the right thing to do. Follyighlight the sheer of the current government shut down. We want to make sure these people are paid. They want to get back to doing what they love which is working on behalf of the public. If were going to be providing the pay as we should, we should have them come back to work which is why we have been all along saying we should go to reopen the federal government and bring all the federal employees back to work. What republicans are doing, theyre saying lets fund the Natural National park service or fema. Today their proposals that lets not get back pay. It is not say lets give that pay to folks at fema. Allaid lets make sure federal employees are held harmless. Lets get back pay to all federal employees. So why are they not bringing up a bill that allows all federal employees to get to work . It makes absolutely no sense at all. The American People are paying for these important services. We want to make sure every federal employee gets back to work to do their job. That is what federal employees want to be able to do. The way to do that is in a boat right now to and the government shut down. Said evereagues have since march we have been really clear that we have been clear of a negotiation on the budget. On three occasions we have called for a vote for the speaker to a point budget negotiators so they can negotiate with the senate. All three occasions, Speaker Boehner and the republicans said no to negotiations on the budget. Harry reid and tried 18 times 12 point budget negotiators. Senator ted cruz and senator mike lee and the republican said no. Senator mccain said it was irrational for them to say no. They said no. That is why we have not had any monthsconversations for and months. As the leader said, we have been this notion that democrats would exercise our tohts to offer motions instruct. A few weeks ago during a hearing, paul ryan said they will move forward with budget negotiations. This was news to all of us. The leaders said we are making news today by saying we will doe up the right in order to what we did from the beginning. The right the last point i want to make is what negotiations involve. They have been totally mischaracterizing the statement. What the president has been saying is that he will not negotiate away the full faith and credit of the United States. Republicans cannot say they will iny do what they should do order to get their republican agenda through the house. That is not the way it works. We all share a responsibility. They have the budget that chairman ryan put forward. Very harmful to the country. It squeezes many seniors on medicare. It cuts 7 billion over 10 years. That is their budget. We passed the budget. We have an important plan amid to reinvest in the country to get the economy going again. We have a jobs plan. What else does he call for . Replacing the sequester. Infrastructure it remains in place not just through november 15 but through this time this year. Millionll be up to 1. 2 fewer american jobs. Their best estimate is that we will have 800 thousand. That wipes out the last four plus months of job growth in this country. That is a selfinflicted wound we cannot afford. Plan toa longterm reduce the deficit. In a balanced way. The deficit right now has been cut in half. We know we have to make progress in the longterm deficit. We have a plan to do that. We ask for shared responsibility. People are making millions and millions of dollars a year. Our point is we want to have a budget negotiation. ,hat whole republican wishlist they do not get to force that down the countries fro to write threatening to default on our debts or to shut down the government. Throat threatening to default on our thats or to shut down the government. You do not get the republican agenda in exchange for doing what every member should do anyway which is pay our nations bills on time. They have work to make sure were all on the same page. The house of representatives is not a sandbox. This republican shut down of our. Overnment is serious the American People know that. They have been saying that since the republican shut down our government on october 1. What theyre telling us is it is time for no more excuses. Should stoping we acting like children in the house of representatives. The republican shut down the government is not just serious. It is also absurd. Someone tried to explain that the americans republicans try to shut down the government and october 5 they decided to pay all the workers that they told do not come into work. Were not so serious it would be absurd. We are here to say what americans are saying all over the place. Put america back to work. Let them vote on a clean budget bill to put americans back to work. Be okasan on our elected representatives of this country. Building a stronger middle class, creating more jobs. Putting americans out of work, not putting them into a state of anxiety if whether or not they will be able to pay their bills. Who thinks anyone of our wants to be part of a republican gimmick is shutting down the government where they are spared as veterans from the pain of a Government Shutdown . I do not think there is a veteran in america he will say take care of me and leave our children behind. That is the gimmick that takes place today. Americans are telling us we please put your country before your party . If republicans simply put themselves in the shoes of the American People, no Small Business in america on main street would rhyme they operate would run their operations the way the house of representatives is. Let america work. Let Congress Vote for a clean budget bill to put americans back to work. Lets get to the business of building a stronger middle class. Let me yield now to the chairman of the Democratic National campaign committee. In this game of pingpong, his side is getting smaller and smaller and smaller. He keeps creating excuses not to vote. Them away from him. It is simply time to vote. Is going to be an another moment of truth for john boehner. 200 democrats have signed a letter that 90 of our caucus saying to the speaker we are ready to a vote on a clean budget. We have heard that there are between 20 and 22 republicans have said back home that they are ready to vote for a clean budget. Now it is time for them to put it where their budgets are. They are saying they will support a clean budget with no Strings Attached and now have the opportunity to reopen this government. They now have the opportunity to hold to their promises. Were going to hold them accountable. You cannot hold this at home and then act like a lapdog. Those 22 republicans who said they will vote with 98 of the government without Strings Attached, this is their moment of truth. Signed the letter. Now it is time for them to do the same. I am really hopeful that those 20 or 22 republicans that have claimed to pursue a solution are going to keep their word. Not to any of your colleagues but to their constituents they gave their word too. We will test out this proposition over the next several days. Inc. You. I now yield to nobody because i am the last speaker. I thank all of my colleagues for their eloquent statement about what our purpose here is in terms of representing the American People and getting the budgete for what were priorities. Thank you for working so hard on that over the years. Today, hereposal is are three pages of signatures of names. We have signatures of the members that have signed the letter. We have accepted their letter. The president has accepted their number. The United States senate has accepted the republican number. The democrats in the house have accepted the republican number. The only missing piece are the republicans in the house accepting their own number. What is the problem . If the issue is that you do not want to bring it up because once you go to the