In remarks on the floor of the United States Senate today, Sept. 30, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren addressed House Republicans' irresponsible threats to shut down the government and steps to deny women access to contraception and affordable health care.

She urged House Republicans to stop their assault on orderly functioning of our government and economy, to keep the government open, and to address the impact of drastic spending cuts from the sequester on families across the country.

"With millions of people still out of work, with an economic recovery that is still far too fragile, with students and families being crushed by student loan debt, with millions of seniors denied one hot meal a day with Meals on Wheels and millions of little children pushed out of Head start because of a sequester that is dragging down the middle class, with the country hours away from a government shutdown and days away from a potential default on the nation's debt, the Republicans have decided that the single most important issue facing our nation is to change the law so that employers can deny women access birth control coverage. In fact, letting employers decide whether women can get birth control covered on their insurance plans is SO important that the Republicans are willing to shutter the government and potentially tank the economy. Over whether women can access birth control coverage. In the year 2013. Not the year 1913—the year 2013."