Government Shutdown's Impact on National Security

Floor Speech

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Ms. SPANBERGER. Madam Speaker, over the past 34 days, we have heard that this shutdown is about security. Well, I am a former undercover CIA officer, so let's talk about security.

There is nothing secure about FBI agents working without pay. There is nothing secure about them closing down investigations and losing their informants, their counterterrorism informants.

There is nothing secure about TSA employees who keep us safe in the airspace working without pay.

There is nothing secure about our Customs and Border Patrol agents, who work along the very border we are discussing, working without pay.

There is nothing secure about our air traffic controllers working 10 hours a day to keep our airplanes safe in the air.

There is nothing secure about our diplomats, who work in war zones and around the world to keep this country safe, working without pay.

There is nothing secure about the 42,000 dedicated members of the U.S. Coast Guard working without pay as they defend our shores.

The public servants who work every single day to protect the lives of their fellow American citizens deserve better. I know this because I used to be one of them.

This shutdown is a disgrace. It is hurting our national security. We must end it now so that Americans can sleep safely at night; Federal workers can receive the paychecks they have earned; and our country's military, economic, and diplomatic strength can be preserved before it is too late.

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