Government Shutdown Hurts the People

Floor Speech

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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, fortunately, the United States Government is open, and, fortunately, when Donald Trump comes to this Chamber on February 5, he can say the state of the Union is that the government is open. Otherwise, the State of the Union would have been different.

A lot of people lost paychecks and had great difficulties because of 35 days without many Federal employees getting paid. That should not happen again.

A lot of private entrepreneurs whose businesses are located near Federal facilities will never recover the losses. When Federal employees did not go to work, people who have grocery stores, cafeterias, and lunchrooms lost business that they can never make up.

The ability of the FAA to keep our airlines going was jeopardized. We don't need to let that happen again. That hurts commerce and hurts our country.

We need to have an agreement, but we don't need to build an unnecessary fifth-century wall. George Bush put up more barriers than any other President, but none in Texas, his home State, because the Rio Grande River is the dividing point. There is a big difference.

God bless Walter Jones

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