Congresswoman-elect Jennifer Wexton (VA-10) comments as the federal government shutdown looms.
“Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump railed about his Wall, and promised that Mexico would pay for it. Now he is poised to shut down the federal government over his demands that American taxpayers fork over $5 billion to pay for a wall which has always been more of a political stunt than an effective means of securing our border.
800,000 public servants — men and women who keep our country safe and our government running smoothly — will now spend this holiday season in financial distress. 420,000 of them will be forced to work without pay, including the TSA employees who keep us safe during this busy travel season.
Not only will this shutdown hurt our federal workforce, but it will also hurt our local economy and end critical government programs. Funding for the Violence Against Women Act will expire at midnight tonight, as Republicans send their members home for the weekend.
Once I take office, I’ll work to reopen the government and ensure federal workers receive every dollar of their pay. It’s time to stop using our federal workers as political pawns.”
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