January 10, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 5 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
All in House sectionPrev65 of 149Next
SIGN THE BILL AND OPEN UP THE GOVERNMENT; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 5
(House of Representatives - January 10, 2019)
Text available as:
Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages H440-H441] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] SIGN THE BILL AND OPEN UP THE GOVERNMENT (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, to the White House: Sign the bill and open up the government. Today, the President is in my home State, impossible for him to see the entire border on the southern border and to realize that work has been done for almost two decades on barriers, and that is why only 12 known or alleged terrorists have crossed that border as compared to the unfenced northern border, which was where the 2000 terrorists coming across the border as the century turned occurred. Tomorrow, there will be faithful Federal employees who will not get their money, many in Texas: 9,000 Treasury employees are stationed in Texas, 5,700 Homeland Security; the airports in my district, with 51,000 screeners, may miss their first paychecks; and Johnson Space Center--hardworking Americans. This is no time for one's ego or one's preference of what type of barrier. It is a time for those of us who care about border security, Democrats who give billions of dollars, including $1.3 billion that we gave in this budget and $1.6 billion. Open the government and pay these people their checks. I look forward to meeting with Federal employees. Call my office. We want to give you as much help as we can. Open the government. That is what should be done. Mr. Speaker, because this President insists on an immoral and ineffective border wall, he has shut down the government and said he would be proud to do it. This is a presidential temper tantrum. The President clearly does not realize what he asking, and the impact this has on Americans throughout the nation. In my homestate, I know that the consequences are real--mortgages and rent are not paid, car payments are not being made, spring tuition checks are not being paid, supplemental nutrition assistance. Texas has 35,694 employees in agencies without appropriations. With its vast size, Texas accounts for at least a few thousand workers in nearly every major federal agency. Nearly 9,000 Treasury Department employees are stationed there, along with about 5,700 Homeland Security employees and 4,300 in the Department of Transportation. Smaller agencies with particularly high concentrations of Texas-based employees include NASA and the Small Business Administration. The impact to the city of Houston is not insignificant. Houston is the nation's fourth largest city, and the shutdown is affecting us acutely. To get to and from my district, I am proud to fly through George Bush international airport, in Houston. I am proud to say that this airport is in my district, and these brave Americans who are on the front lines of protecting America, are working without pay. TSA agents are considered essential employees and must report to work even though they aren't getting paid during the shutdown. Screening areas at Bush and Hobby have not been impacted, but it's a different story in Dallas and New York. At DFW, there has reportedly been a 200% to 300% increase in TSA agents calling out sick since the shutdown began. Travelers waited in nearly hour-long security lines at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Monday. [[Page H441]] The TSA worries lines may get even longer if more screeners call out sick. Tomorrow could be a tipping point when 51,000 screeners may miss their first paychecks. TSA agents are considered essential employees and must report to work even though they aren't getting paid during the shutdown. Houston is also home to one of the greatest aeronautical institutions all the world--the Johnson Space Center. There are more than 16,000 NASA employees still out of work as the federal government shutdown. The partial government shutdown impacts 800,000 of the 2.1 million federal workers nationwide, including 16,700 NASA employees, which accounts for 96 percent of the workforce. Although most of NASA's employees will be furloughed, those responsible for keeping people and property safe are exempted from the shutdown. For example, International Space Station operations will continue: about 200 of the 3,055 federal employees at Johnson Space Center in Houston will continue working primarily to keep the three astronauts aboard the space station alive. But that is only the beginning of the problem. Houston citizens are unable to seek temporary private sector work because such jobs require permission, and the people who process those requests have been furloughed. Federally funded housing programs are in jeopardy as the shutdown stretches on. For example, rural home loans financed by the USDA are not an option. Texans who were affected by Hurricane Harvey are still waiting for federal aid, and the shutdown won't make it any easier to get that aid. Harris County is putting a hold on Harvey recovery projects that relied in part on federal money. The Treasury Department's loss of funding means some Texas wineries and breweries can't get federal approval of labels allowing their products to be sold across state lines. Federal employees are required to work throughout the shutdown without pay, like corrections officers and Border Patrol agents. Agencies such as the national parks, NASA and some IRS employees have been sent home or furloughed in Houston, Texas. There are any number of cascading effects--Local restaurants are feeling the impact as well; federal employees who frequent nearby eateries for meals are no longer eating out. Federal courts are grinding to a halt and national parks are shuttered. ____________________
All in House sectionPrev65 of 149Next