“Senate Democrats have a choice. Pay essential workers who are working right now without a paycheck. Or send them into the weekend with empty bank accounts and bills they cannot pay. If Democrats vote no, it won’t be about fairness. It will be about politics.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor prior to voting on Senator Ron Johnson’s (R-Wis.) Shutdown Fairness Act. This bill would ensure that federal workers who are currently working without pay – such as Border Patrol agents, TSA agents, and air traffic controllers – will receive their paychecks during the Schumer Shutdown.
Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.
Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as delivered:
“Today is Day 23 of the Schumer Shutdown. And we just heard the Minority Leader right here on the Floor continue to practice the politics of pain, and it’s pain felt by the American people. Remember, Senator Schumer is the one that said to the press, ‘Everyday gets better for us.’ I don’t know who ‘us’ is. It’s not the American people. It’s not the people who come to work all across the country – the Wyoming National Guard, people all around America, people in your state as well as mine who aren’t going to get paid. Senator Schumer said, ‘Can’t we do anything about it?’ Yeah, we can open the government!
“Yesterday, once again, they voted to keep the government shut. Tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are going to miss their paychecks because Chuck Schumer and the Democrats will not vote to open the government. Democrats have now set the record for the longest full government shutdown in American history. In previous shutdowns, some agencies stayed open. This time, no one is getting paid. Democrats have shut down the entire government.
“Democrats are more concerned with playing politics than protecting working families. And for them, it has been a big game with working families suffering. Now, they’re finally being honest about it.
“Just this week, the House Democrat Whip told the press, ‘Of course there will be families that are going to suffer… but it is one of the few leverage times we have.’
“Evidently, Democrats believe that withholding paychecks, food stamps, and funding to feed women, infants, and children is leverage. Leverage for what? To give taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal immigrants? To enact $1.5 trillion in permanent new spending? To impress radical left wing activist groups? Democrats are causing Americans to suffer because they want to pass liberal policies that Americans don’t want and never voted for.
“Republicans have proposed a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution that reopens the government and pays those who have been working for weeks without pay. Democrats have rejected it. Not once. Not twice. 12 times. It is a cycle of obstruction. Democrats voted for clean continuing resolutions 13 times when Joe Biden was president. Now, they oppose it. Why? Because President Trump is in the White House.
“Speaking of President Trump, just days ago, he told the Democrats he is happy to meet, but first they must reopen the government. Yet since Democrats continue to refuse to reopen the government, the Senate will try the next best option.
“Today, this body will move to begin debate on Senator Ron Johnson’s Shutdown Fairness Act. There is not a single good argument against passing it immediately. This bill ensures the men and women who keep our nation safe receive pay during the Schumer Shutdown. It pays our troops. They are protecting our nation at home and abroad. It pays the Coast Guard as they continue to patrol our waters. It pays Border Patrol agents defending our southern border. It pays members of ICE as they round up and deport illegal immigrant criminals. It pays air traffic controllers guiding flights safely to their destination. It pays TSA agents screening passengers at every airport in America. It pays Capitol Police officers. They have worked for weeks without pay. It applies back to the first day of the Schumer Shutdown. That means employees will get their full pay. It applies to this shutdown. It also applies to future shutdowns. That will provide stability and predictability to those who keep us safe.
“Would I prefer a clean continuing resolution that fully reopens the government? Absolutely. But Democrats have blocked a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution every single time we’ve offered one. It has been reported that Democrats will filibuster this bill as well.
“So, when Democrats stand up here today and criticize this bill, remember this. Senate Democrats have a choice. Pay essential workers who are working right now without a paycheck. Or send them into the weekend with empty bank accounts and bills they cannot pay. If Democrats vote no, it won’t be about fairness. It will be about politics.
“Remember what the House Democrat Whip told the press. ‘Of course there will be families that are going to suffer… but it is one of the few leverage times we have.’ If Democrats vote no, it will be about ‘leverage’ for them and pain for the American people. It’s time to reopen the government.”
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