Congresswoman Schrier Reads #ShutdownStories on House Floor

January 23, 2019

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today Congresswoman Kim Schrier (D-WA) gave a floor speech about how the shutdown is affecting her constituents.

Thank you Madam Speaker. Yesterday marked one full month of the unnecessary government shutdown. 800,000 federal employees are set to miss their second paycheck later this week. The shutdown is not only affecting these workers, but we are seeing ripple effects of agencies being closed or staff being downsized. Food banks are seeing massive increases, at some almost twelve-fold, in demand from Federal employees, but also people who rely on help like Section 8 housing checks, or SNAP benefits that have not yet come.

I heard from a constituent who is a career employee at the FAA that "It is frustrating that thousands of hard-working federal employees have become innocent pawns in the current Washington standoff between Congress and the President over funding for border security. As an integral part of the nation's air traffic control system, my focus has always been, and will always be, on safety… My dedicated colleagues and I at the FAA work tirelessly in furtherance of the agency's mission of providing the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world, despite some of us now doing so without pay."

I have heard from a wife whose husband is a federal agent at the FDA, "My question … is how are we going to make ends meet without a paycheck for my husband this Friday? We adopted our sweet son a year and half ago, draining our savings account to do so. We currently do not have savings to fall back on during this time. How are we supposed to pay our rent, our bills, keep food on the table for our family, or pay for an emergency (should it arise)? I do have a full-time job that will at least bring us some income during this shutdown - and I am sure we are luckier than most federal employed families, but I can assure you that our family is in true panic mode. We have been doing everything in our power to ensure our family would be able to purchase a home this summer. How do we explain to creditors that we do not have the money to pay them right now, without it affecting our credit?"

I have heard from a constituent who is a furloughed federal worker who is "…forced to come to work every day without pay due to the partial government shutdown. Every day that goes by the stress and anxiety about not having a paycheck and having to support my family, all the while having to incur the costs of going to work every day mounts. To top this all off, as an ‘excepted' or ‘exempt' employee under current federal law- I am not allowed to apply for nor can I receive unemployment compensation."

I have heard from a local business owner who "contracts with federal entities, my work has ground to a halt, I won't be compensated for any down time, and I will have to reduce my workforce. We don't need a wall, we don't need to waste money, and we don't need symbolic racism. We need an open government that manages land, services, travel, and commerce. Please apply pressure to get the government open and our district's federal employees, contractors, and private sector partners back to work."

I have heard from a constituent who served 40 years in the Coast Guard under many different administrations who says that "Worst of all, it is negatively impacting the most junior members of our workforce. Those are the people you will meet if you ever take your family boating on Puget Sound or the navigable waters of this country and experience some form of distress. As a retiree, I will not be paid at the end of this month, a statement that I once believed I would never have to say."

I have heard from a social worker whose client left a domestic violence situation and recently "receiv(ed) a letter about the discontinuation of section 8 housing benefits. This family without this support will be homeless once again let alone the emotional strain that this is causing… Please do what you can to prevent the stress on our most vulnerable."

The shutdown must end now. Federal employees and their families should not be held hostage for a wasteful and ineffective wall. And people who rely on assistance from federal government are now caught in the fray. The House has now voted nine times to reopen the government with bi-partisan bills that have similar language to what the Republican Senate passed in December.

I will not support re-opening the government in exchange for the President's wall. Get the government open and then we can have a thoughtful discussion about the best way to protect our borders, without holding the American people hostage.

Link to the C-SPAN video: https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4775913/rep-schrier-shutdown-stories