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From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE TRUMP SHUTDOWN
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
New York (Ms. Velazquez) for 5 minutes.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, as of this week, the Trump shutdown has
become the longest government shutdown in American history.
It is bad enough that the President has doubled down on his demand
for a senseless, expensive, and hateful border wall. It is even worse
that he is holding Federal workers hostage, needlessly inflicting pain
and suffering on dedicated public servants.
Last week, Federal workers began officially missing a paycheck. These
800,000 workers, both employees and subcontractors, are fathers,
mothers, brothers, and sisters. They have mouths to feed and mortgages
to pay. They must put groceries on the table and gasoline in their car.
Yet because one person in Washington decided to throw a political
temper tantrum over a foolish wall, many of them are now having to cut
expenses, endure sacrifices, and make tough choices in their family
budgets.
The latest outrageous development occurred when, last week, Donald
Trump threatened to take disaster funds away from the Army Corps of
Engineers to pay for this wall. He even suggested taking funding away
from Puerto Rico as the island struggles to recover from historic
hurricanes, the aftermath of which cost 3,000 of our fellow citizens
their lives.
Think about that. The President wants to take money away from
Americans who are suffering from natural disasters in Puerto Rico,
Texas, California, and elsewhere to fund a hateful wall aimed at
demonizing immigrant communities. This is shameful and it is immoral.
Now we have gotten word that HUD may be using the shutdown as a
predicate for reducing disaster funding to
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the people of Puerto Rico. Last week, HUD put out a surprise notice
claiming that the shutdown is preventing them from proceeding with
disaster recovery efforts, funds Congress allocated on a bipartisan
basis almost a year ago. Yet HUD's very own contingency plans dictate
that shutdowns, under no circumstances, should affect disaster-related
operations.
I fear that Secretary Carson is playing politics with the shutdown
and the people of Puerto Rico, putting the island's recovery at risk.
Mr. Speaker, this shutdown must end. The President's shameful
insistence on a border wall is harming our workers and families.
Everything, from the food we eat to counterterrorism, to travel safety,
is impacted by the Trump shutdown. And now HUD is threatening to
inflict greater pain on those who have survived natural disasters. That
is unacceptable.
Mr. President, the American people implore you: Stop holding Federal
workers and other Americans hostage. Stop threatening parts of our
Nation that are recovering from natural disaster. Don't put people's
lives at risk. Do your job. Reopen government, and get back to work.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.
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