Effects of the Shutdown

Floor Speech

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Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, this week, we voted for the tenth time to end the shutdown. For people in the 14th District of Illinois, the effects of this Trump shutdown are real, and they are painful.

This weekend, I visited a family shelter for survivors of domestic violence that does incredible work serving my community. This shelter would like to expand to serve even more people, but funding uncertainty around reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act makes that impossible for them. Domestic violence survivors are casualties of this shutdown.

This weekend, I also met an entrepreneur who is working to open a pet care company with her husband. He even left his job so they can realize their dream, but they are currently waiting on a Small Business Administration loan they need to open their business. It is sitting on a furloughed worker's desk. Entrepreneurs are casualties of the shutdown.

This week, I met with air traffic controllers in my district, people who keep passengers and freight moving safely through the skies. They are working 6-day weeks and about to miss a second paycheck. They told me they look after their colleagues by asking: How long do you have left?

How long do they have left before they miss a mortgage payment or a healthcare bill, or max out their credit cards?

These are hardworking, responsible people, many with at least 3 months' savings, but they are entering their second month without a paycheck. The financial and psychological stress of this shutdown is cruel, and, sadly, it won't be the only consequence.

The shutdown has closed the air traffic controller training academy, which will diminish the pipeline of people we need to keep air travel safe and efficient in the future. Our future is a casualty of the Trump shutdown.

Madam Speaker, I sincerely hope our Republican colleagues will join us in reopening the government. The alternative is too painful for too many.

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