Shutdown is Harming the People of Central Virginia

Floor Speech

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Ms. SPANBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise the alarm and sound the alarm about the shutdown and how it is harming the people of central Virginia.

Across the country, hundreds of thousands of Federal employees are working without pay or are furloughed, including critical law enforcement personnel. The best way to illustrate the destructive effects of this shutdown is to share a story from one of my constituents in Virginia's Seventh District. She said to us:

My husband is a Federal employee and the sole provider for our family, and right now, we don't know when he'll get paid. Because I got sick last year, we now have less money in the bank, and we're not sure how we can hold on.

While he could make more money in the private sector, my husband believes that working in a Federal job is his way of making a difference through public service--and every day, he is proud to go into the office at 5 a.m. to do what he can to serve his country.

One of the hardest days of his life was when he came home and said that earlier that day, he had told those under him that they were furloughed--just days before Christmas.

We are begging you to reopen the government.

This story demonstrates the importance of fixing this mess and reopening the government.

I encourage my colleagues and leadership to act now in a bipartisan way to protect the livelihoods of these hardworking families.

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