WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) spoke on the Senate floor today about the path forward toward ending the government shutdown and what elected officials in Washington can learn about leadership from our nation’s veterans. His remarks followed a morning visit with Heartland Honor Flight World War II veterans at the memorial built in their honor. The World War II Memorial is closed due to the partial government shutdown, but the barricades did not deter the Honor Flight Network from taking the opportunity to visit their memorial.

Sen. Moran also spoke about the scheduled meeting between President Obama and Senate and House leadership this afternoon, and called on the President and Senate Democrats to abandon their refusal to negotiate on the Affordable Care Act.

Highlights from Sen. Moran’s remarks can be found below, along with links to video and audio downloads.

(1:07) “The battles we engage in need to be a lot less about Republicans and Democrats, and much more about what’s good for the country. We ought to use the veterans that we met with this morning, and those who are memorialized on the National Mall, to remind ourselves that there is a higher calling to what we do in our nation’s capital. There is something more important than the political skirmishes.”

(1:32) While I was pleased moments ago to learn that our president has called Congressional leaders to the White House, it’s disturbing to me that the message is that we’re not negotiating…

(2:00) It’s time for the Senate to function. It’s time for us, as individual senators, to provide the leadership [necessary] to resolve our problems…

(2:14) We desperately need leadership from a president. And while I have serious policy and philosophical disagreements with President Obama, my greatest complaint about his presidency is his lack of leadership.

(2:58) Regardless of who is the occupant of the White House, in order for the Congress to resolve difficult issues, it takes the leadership of a president. And so my call, as it was earlier to my colleagues in the Senate to provide leadership, I hope the president, in his meeting with the leadership of the Senate and House today, will provide the leadership necessary to help us move in the direction and step back from the statement that while we're meeting, nothing is negotiable."

FTP LINK:  Click here to download his floor speech. (Save to your desktop.)

AUDIO LINK:  Click here to download audio of the remarks.

YOUTUBE:  Click here to watch his remarks on YouTube.

# # #