Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Too close for comfort


If there is one thing that we've learned in these past weeks, it's that the Tea Party will go to great lengths -- including putting the American economy in danger and holding our government hostage -- to destroy Obamacare. To them it doesn't matter that the American public overwhelmingly endorsed these important health care reforms when we re-elected President Obama in 2012; they just want to continue to obstruct the progress that has been made.

Let me make something clear: This cannot happen again. As I have in the past, I will continue to stand strong in the face of anyone who believes that the best way to pass legislation is by driving our country to the economic brink -- to govern by directly threatening the livelihoods and well-being of countless Americans.

Though a full-blown crisis was narrowly averted, we've still got a lot of work to do.

We may have avoided breaching the debt ceiling, but the Tea Party gamble cost us 24 billion dollars in lost American economic activity. They hurt hundreds of thousands of Americans -- including thousands of federal employees and veterans in Rhode Island. Now we need to fix the damage and work towards creating jobs and improving the economy.

This has been an especially trying time for all of us, but I want you to know that I will always work to protect Rhode Island families, and I will continue to stand up to the most extreme factions in Congress who are trying to derail our country.

Thank you for joining with me in this fight, and for your continued support.

Sheldon Whitehouse
U. S. Senator