Hundreds Hurt By Shutdown

Floor Speech

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Mr. AGUILAR. Madam Speaker, we are now in day 34 of the longest shutdown in American history.

Over the course of this shutdown, I have heard from hundreds of people in my community who are being hurt by this reckless shutdown. Today, I would like to share the story of Graciela, who wrote to me from my hometown of Redlands.

Graciela has worked for the IRS for over 40 years, and her Federal job allows her to care for her daughter, who is suffering from thyroid cancer. Graciela wrote to me and said: ``Each missed paycheck is another 2 weeks that my daughter will go without medication and treatment.''

It is outrageous that, in the face of this type of suffering, real human suffering, our President can remain so callous.

We have voted 11 times to reopen this government, but instead of working with us to end this shutdown, the President and Leader McConnell continue to move the goalpost and insist on funding for their ineffective and wasteful border wall and cuts to legal immigration.

Our country deserves better than leaders who are willing to hold their people hostage.

Graciela concluded her message to me by saying this: ``The President's misconceived notion that this country needs a wall more than its own citizens need to go back to work or to be paid for the work they are doing is mind-boggling.''

Madam Speaker, Americans are suffering and deserve better.

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