“I am proud to shut down the government…I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not gonna blame you for it.”
—Donald Trump, December 11 |
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If the government shuts down at midnight tonight, around 400,000 federal employees will be forced to work without pay, and more than 380,000 will be furloughed. That includes TSA workers, Coast Guard employees, law enforcement, corrections officers and Forest Service firefighters.
Thousands of Americans with families won’t know when they’ll get paid. This shutdown will have real, tangible consequences as we head into the holiday season and the New Year.
I want to be crystal clear: if the government shuts down at midnight tonight, President Donald Trump will deserve full responsibility.
Republicans still control both houses of Congress and the White House. They have the power to pass a bipartisan bill to keep the government open. But Trump is threatening to veto any bill that doesn’t include $5 billion for his unnecessary border wall. That’s $5 billion that could be invested in domestic priorities like infrastructure, health care and paid family and sick leave.
And so we find ourselves yet again facing a manufactured crisis of Trump’s making.
Donald Trump continues to govern by brinkmanship and chaos. That’s not leadership: it’s recklessness.
I will continue to fight for the voiceless and the vulnerable in our communities. I hope the President listens to the majority of Americans who are calling on him to keep our government open.
Thanks for being by my side,
— Kamala Harris
U.S. Senator, California
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