Congresswoman Laura Richardson Sounds the Alarm About the Possible Shutdown of Multiple Vital Departments and Programs because of a Single Republican Senator

Press Release

Congresswoman Laura Richardson sounds the alarm of ultimate partisan grandstanding by a single Republican Senator, Jim Bunning of Kentucky. The potential loss of services, including the possible shutdown of the Department of Transportation is predicted for Monday March 1, 2010.

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Transportation Act -- A Legacy for Users within the Department of Transportation will expire on Monday, March 1, 2010, forcing more than 4,000 Department of Transportation employees to go home and delaying hundreds of millions of dollars of transportation funding from going to the states
Unless there is a guarantee that the extension will be approved early next week, beginning Tuesday some unemployment and Medicare benefits will expire and the Department of Transportation, including the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Safety Administration, will start sending home thousands of employees.
"On Friday, I participated in a meeting with Chairman Oberstar to discuss the potential impact," Congresswoman Richardson said. "At a time when man Americans are struggling to save their homes and send their children safely to school, these actions in the Senate jeopardize constituents in their most dire times. I will work diligently to end these continuous stalls."

Currently, The House of Representatives have voted and passed more than 290 bills that are sitting in the Senate awaiting action on the floor.

"The actions of a few Senators continue to hinder the legislative progress and damage America's economy," Congresswoman Richardson added.


Congresswoman Richardson is a Democrat from California's 37th Congressional District. She is a member of the House Committees on Transportation & Infrastructure and Homeland Security and is the chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response. Her district includes Long Beach, Compton, Carson, Watts, Willowbrook and Signal Hill.

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