The Trump Shutdown

Floor Speech

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, as of this week, the Trump shutdown has become the longest government shutdown in American history.

It is bad enough that the President has doubled down on his demand for a senseless, expensive, and hateful border wall. It is even worse that he is holding Federal workers hostage, needlessly inflicting pain and suffering on dedicated public servants.

Last week, Federal workers began officially missing a paycheck. These 800,000 workers, both employees and subcontractors, are fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. They have mouths to feed and mortgages to pay. They must put groceries on the table and gasoline in their car. Yet because one person in Washington decided to throw a political temper tantrum over a foolish wall, many of them are now having to cut expenses, endure sacrifices, and make tough choices in their family budgets.

The latest outrageous development occurred when, last week, Donald Trump threatened to take disaster funds away from the Army Corps of Engineers to pay for this wall. He even suggested taking funding away from Puerto Rico as the island struggles to recover from historic hurricanes, the aftermath of which cost 3,000 of our fellow citizens their lives.

Think about that. The President wants to take money away from Americans who are suffering from natural disasters in Puerto Rico, Texas, California, and elsewhere to fund a hateful wall aimed at demonizing immigrant communities. This is shameful and it is immoral.

Now we have gotten word that HUD may be using the shutdown as a predicate for reducing disaster funding to the people of Puerto Rico. Last week, HUD put out a surprise notice claiming that the shutdown is preventing them from proceeding with disaster recovery efforts, funds Congress allocated on a bipartisan basis almost a year ago. Yet HUD's very own contingency plans dictate that shutdowns, under no circumstances, should affect disaster-related operations.

I fear that Secretary Carson is playing politics with the shutdown and the people of Puerto Rico, putting the island's recovery at risk.

Mr. Speaker, this shutdown must end. The President's shameful insistence on a border wall is harming our workers and families. Everything, from the food we eat to counterterrorism, to travel safety, is impacted by the Trump shutdown. And now HUD is threatening to inflict greater pain on those who have survived natural disasters. That is unacceptable.

Mr. President, the American people implore you: Stop holding Federal workers and other Americans hostage. Stop threatening parts of our Nation that are recovering from natural disaster. Don't put people's lives at risk. Do your job. Reopen government, and get back to work.

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