End the Shutdown and Negotiate

By U.S. Representative Mike Coffman To govern in a divided government and get results, one must be open to compromise. And I know the American people and the people of Colorado expect us to govern. We are now in the second week of a government shutdown. To compound matters, the country will reach its authorized debt limit in a little over a week. Congress and President Obama must end this partisan drama by passing a spending bill to reopen the government, avert an economic crisis by passing an increase in the debt limit, and immediately begin working on a bipartisan solution to stop Washingtons spending problem. Ive said all along that I didnt want a Government shutdown. Its sad that partisan bickering has led us to where we are; hopefully some bipartisan solutions can lead us out. It might not be popular to say so, but I believe that extremists in both parties have kept us from finding real solutions. It concerns me that some Democrats appear to be rooting for a shutdown because they think it helps them politically. And likewise, it also concerns me that some Republicans used the flawed strategy of a shutdown for what appears to be nothing more than an exercise in national fundraising. I have done my best to delay, defund and dismantle all or parts of Obamacare because I believe that much of it will be harmful to this country in the long run. Lost in the shutdown coverage, the problems with the new ObamaCare exchanges are a major cause for concern. However, the debate over attaching Obamacare to a spending bill must end and I will argue before my colleagues in the House that we need to pass a clean spending bill to immediately reopen the government. Reducing spending remains my top concern, thats why I believe this funding resolution should stay within the spending caps that both parties agreed to last time the nations debt limit was increased in 2011. The United States is now buried under a staggering $17 trillion in red ink and we are on a trajectory to face a debt crisis that could eventually threaten our national security. President Obama has previously said that he will not negotiate on another increase to the debt limit and instead wants all future increases to occur automatically without the consent of Congress. Most voters disagree with that plan too, since Washington could pretend that its spending problem doesnt exist. President Obama is now saying that he is willing to negotiate on additional steps to bring down the debt but only after the partial shutdown has ended and the debt limited is once again raised. I will take him at his word that he is willing to work with Republicans on a budget agreement to bring down our debt. I will support a temporary increase in the debt limit that is long enough for Republicans and Democrats to come together and work toward a bipartisan solution on a budget agreement that will put our country on a sustainable fiscal path. If thats 6 months, 12 months or

longer I am open to any plan that brings back economic certainty to the markets and reopens the Government. Compromise solutions like this will get us back on track. As a member of the bipartisan group called No Labels I believe that Washingtons broken, and that both parties need to stop playing games. If we start acting seriously about these real issues, I know we can get results.