Washington, D.C. — Despite the U.S. Senate passing a continuing resolution to fund the government through early February, President Donald Trump and congressional Republican leaders shut down the government, starting at midnight tonight. Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
The Senate unanimously passed a bill extending government funding through early February. That was the compromise, but House Republicans validated Trump’s temper tantrum and passed a continuing resolution with $5.7 billion for a border wall that serves no purpose and that the American people don’t want. Republicans knew this bill was doomed and would lead to the government shutdown that Trump said he was “proud” of and has always wanted.
The GOP controls every branch of this government and holds all the blame in failing to fulfill its most basic function: to keep the government open. Trump’s accomplice party will pretend impacts will be minimal, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Now, 420,000 federal employees will work without pay, and 380,000 workers will be sent home over the holidays without pay. Eighty percent of federal workers live outside of the Beltway area, and nearly one-third of federal employees are veterans.
And if it does become “a very long” shutdown, key agencies will be unable to deal with immediate and unexpected issues that will undoubtedly come up. Trump and his enablers in Congress are willing to hurt everyday Americans for a wasteful wall and hateful anti-immigrant policies that were soundly rejected in last month’s midterm election.
For more information on this topic or to talk to an expert, please contact Rafael Medina at [email protected] or 202.478.5313.