New House of Representatives' Majority Whip Congressman James E. Clyburn urges the U.S. Senate vote on "Reopening the Government"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 6, 2019
CONTACT: Hope Derrick, 202-226-3210

CLYBURN URGES SENATE VOTE ON REOPENING THE GOVERNMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn issued the following statement today on plans for the House to vote this week on individual appropriations bills to reopen vital government services and getting federal employees back to work: “It is unconscionable that Senate Leader McConnell would block votes on these bills to reopen the government that received overwhelming bipartisan Senate support just a few months ago. Not only are 800,000 federal employees’ livelihood in the balance, millions of Americans are suffering the consequences of this Trump Shutdown. Loans for small businesses and farmers are already impacted, food stamps and income tax refunds will be next unless the Senate, a co-equal branch of government elected by the people to serve the people, steps up and does its job.

“The American people ought not be the President’s hostages over his ill-advised and ill-defined border wall. He is demonstrating with every day that passes that he is ill-equipped to negotiate his way out of this self-imposed crisis, and the American people are 'paying the price' over his inability to govern. It is time for the Senate to do its part to reopen the government and tell this President that enough is enough.”

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