Government Shutdown

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, today, thousands of air traffic controllers, who we know are essential to our safety and work in one of the most stressful work environments, have had to work without being paid for 34 days.

Unions for air traffic controllers, pilots, and flight attendants released a letter today describing the impact of this shutdown. This is what they wrote: ``We have a growing concern for the safety and security of our members, our airlines, and the traveling public due to the government shutdown. This is already the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States, and there is no end in sight. In our risk-averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play nor predict the point at which the entire system will break. It is unprecedented.''

This is unconscionable.

Mr. President, you took credit for this shutdown. You said you would accept the responsibility. You said you own this shutdown. Are you going to own and take responsibility for the loss of lives for a catastrophe that will be caused in the sky because you are holding the American people hostage for a political agenda that has no credibility whatsoever?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source