Shutdown Ends After 16 Days, President Signs Bill To Re-Open After Congress Votes, Statements From Local Reps

Oct. 17, 2013. Shortly after midnight early Thursday, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 2775 into law, which keeps the government open through Jan. 15, 2014 and extends the nation’s $16.7 trillion debt limit through Feb. 7, 2014. The Senate ratified the bipartisan deal Wednesday evening in an 81-18 vote, and hours later the House approved the measure 285-144.

While some Republicans did their “best to stop Obamacare,” in the words of House Speaker John A. Boehner to a radio station in Ohio, “We fought the good fight. We just didn’t win.”

Below are statements from your representatives in the U.S. Congress in Avery and Watauga counties regarding the votes in the House and Senate. 

U.S. Sen. Burr voted for bill in the Senate as did U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, while U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx and U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows voted against the bill in the House. 

FOXX: Debt Crisis Demands Leadership, President Must Commit to Honest Spending Reforms

Oct. 16, 2013. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) issued the following statement tonight after the House of Representatives passed legislation to increase the federal debt limit and authorize short-term funding for the federal government.

 

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx

 

“North Carolinians expect real solutions, not problem dodging, from their elected leaders. They expect solutions to ensure laws are fair, spending is controlled, and government is responsive to their concerns. They expect the President to work with both parties to put the American people first.

“America is facing sizeable challenges, in no small part because decades of temporary fixes have failed to confront fundamental problems. Now families are learning that their health care costs will be skyrocketing next year. They are unable to afford Obamacare, much less log in to the government’s broken health care website. Federal debt has already eclipsed the size of the United States economy and will soar to unsustainable levels unless Washington chooses to get the cost of ‘mandatory’ spending programs under control. Both parties must acknowledge and commit to fix that reality.

“In the House of Representatives, we had hoped the occasion of America’s debt ceiling deadline would spur bipartisan commitment to confront the real drivers of America’s $16.7 trillion debt – debt that will hang over the heads of our children and grandchildren for years to come. It did not.

“We attempted to work with the President and Senate Democrats to delay Obamacare’s unprecedented individual mandate tax and at least guarantee fairness in the broken law’s implementation. They refused.

“While I am glad to see the federal government shutdown end and have temporary assurance that America’s bills will be paid, given the magnitude of the problems we face, the solution offered by the United States Senate does not adequately improve America’s long-term fiscal health. Thus, I could not offer my support.

“In the weeks and months ahead, the country will have to ask whether the President takes his legacy of debt seriously. Republicans and Democrats alike should heed the mathematical writing on the wall and urge the President to commit to honest spending reforms to make our country stronger.

“It won’t be easy, but our debt – driven largely by health care spending, and exacerbated by Obamacare – requires a leader. Right now, President Obama is America’s leader, and the buck stops with him.”