• At midnight on October 1^st, the federal government shut down due to a lapse in appropriations. I've heard from hundreds of South Dakotans about the shutdown and have heard from hundreds who support the effort underway to protect people from the damaging effects of Obamacare. I want to take this opportunity to share some insight into where I stand and to let you know what I've been doing to try to resolve this issue.
• I was not in favor of shutting down the government and I want to see it get reopened as soon as possible.  In the past, government funding bills have always included negotiations on reforms that can be put into place. That is why it is so surprising that the President and the Senate are refusing to negotiate. I have voted four times in the past week to keep the government open while also asking that no one get special treatment under Obamacare - which is something I've heard repeatedly from South Dakotans who have contacted me and asked for.
• One of the most recent bills I voted for would have kept the government open while also delaying the individual mandate in Obamacare for one year. This mandate requires all individuals to purchase health insurance or pay a tax. President Obama previously decided to give big businesses a delay from this requirement, so why should we treat individuals and families any differently?  I believe it is only fair that big businesses and the people of South Dakota be treated the same under Obamacare.
• All of these attempts to fund the government while providing fairness from Obamacare have been rejected out of hand by the Senate Majority Leader.  In response, I supported an attempt to convene a formal conference committee so the House and the Senate could meet and work out our differences.  Unfortunately, our request for negotiation was rejected.
• Our country's spending problems are simply unsustainable. The federal government goes $4 billion into debt every day. With the debt we have accumulated in the past year we could have fully funded the state of South Dakota's budget for nearly 200 years. We cannot continue to borrow money from China to fund our federal gov

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