See below for statements by Virginia Democrats on the apparent end of the insane Trump/GOP government shutdown…
McEachin Statement on Trump’s Agreement to End Historic Government Shutdown
“President Trump and his Republican colleagues finally recognize the overdue necessity of re-opening the government. As I and others have said repeatedly, we can negotiate policy differences without closing the government, without depriving dedicated workers of their paychecks, and without depriving Americans of needed services. Fortunately, federal workers will soon be back on the job, receiving long overdue paychecks so that they can pay their bills and feed their families. We owe these 800,000 workers an apology for being hostages to the President’s intransigence.
“Contrary to what President Trump said at the end of his speech, a shutdown should never be the solution or even an option when governing. Everyone must be committed to finding a resolution to this impasse without threatening or enacting another shutdown. Surely, the suffering and deprivation we have seen across the country clearly demonstrated that shutdowns are not the answer to any disagreement.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank our Speaker for her strong leadership throughout this crisis. She stood up for what was right, advocated passionately and effectively for the values and priorities of the American people. Her stalwart principled statements and actions played a critical role in bringing about a conclusion, as Americans overwhelmingly wanted, to the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history.”
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Beyer: “Why Did President Trump Inflict This Shutdown On The Country?”
January 25, 2019 (Washington, D.C.) – Today Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents more federal employees than any other Member of the House of Representatives, issued the following statement after President Trump’s announcement that he would sign a temporary funding bill to end the partial government shutdown:
“I’m grateful that the shutdown will end soon, but I do not understand why it happened at all.
“If I understood him correctly, President Trump just agreed to the same deal which Speaker Pelosi offered him in December. Had he done so, the President would have spared the country the longest shutdown in its history. Why did President Trump inflict this shutdown on the country?
“He could have spared 800,000 federal employees the suffering caused by missed paychecks, rent payments, medical procedures, and every other deprivation that came with 35 days of no pay. He could have spared the country the scenes of its public sector workers waiting in lines for food banks, airports shut down and tax returns jeopardized, national parks closed, and so many other essential services halted.
“This shutdown accomplished nothing. It inflicted extreme pain on the people I represent, and there was no reason for it. As the President approaches the new deadline he just agreed to for the expiration of government funding, he must think of people besides himself. This must never happen again.”
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Connolly Statement on Ending the Trump Shutdown
Washington, D. C. – Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, released the following statement on President Trump’s long overdue decision to end his unnecessary shutdown and allow the federal workforce to return to work.
“It is incomprehensible that it took President Trump 35 days to finally realize his Shutdown is so harmful to the American people. While I am pleased he has agreed to reopen government and get federal employees and contractors back to work, it is still unconscionable that he would hold them hostage in the first place. He must never do this again.”
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Congresswoman Wexton statement on Trump’s Shutdown Announcement
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) released the following statement on Trump’s announcement to end the shutdown:
“Hundreds of thousands of Americans will never recover from Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell’s petty power play. They should apologize for all suffering they inflicted on federal workers, contractors, and everyone who was impacted by their senseless shutdown. This debacle accomplished nothing other than to lower our nation’s standing in the world and attack our already overburdened federal workforce.”
“I’m relieved that my constituents will finally get paid and back to work serving and protecting our country. Using shutdowns as leverage in policy negotiations never works, and I hope this President now recognizes that he must never do it again.”
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Congresswoman Elaine Luria Issues Statement on Proposed Deal to End Shutdown
WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-02) today issued the following statement after the President’s speech at the White House.
“From my first day in office, the solution to this shutdown has been clear – reopen the government first, give federal employees their back pay, and then start negotiations on border security,” Congresswoman Luria said. “I have voted 11 times to reopen the government, and I will do so as many times as necessary to end this shutdown. That’s why on Wednesday I led a team of 30 House Democrats to urge our leadership to put forth a clear timeline to end the shutdown.”
The 35-day shutdown, which started just before Christmas, is the longest in American history.
- On Jan. 3, her first day in office, Congresswoman Luria requested that her pay be withheld for the shutdown’s duration.
- Later, Congresswoman Luria cosponsored a bill that would pay the Coast Guard during the government shutdown.
- In her first bill as main sponsor, Congresswoman Luria introduced a bill that would allow federal workers to use their savings without penalty.
- On Wednesday, Congresswoman Luria authored a letter – joined by 29 fellow House Democrats – urging Speaker Pelosi to find common ground and end the shutdown.
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It looks like we have a deal to end this pointless shutdown that has harmed so many Americans. Let’s make sure this never happens again.
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I am relieved that President Trump decided to end the crisis that he manufactured over a wall that he said Mexico would pay for. This shutdown has needlessly caused pain to hundreds of thousands and jeopardized the health and safety of Americans. https://t.co/XwbHlSuYf6
— Rep. Bobby Scott (@BobbyScott) January 25, 2019
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Spanberger Statement on Proposal to Reopen the Federal Government for Three Weeks
Over the Past 35 Days, the Congresswoman has Pushed to Responsibly Reopen Critical Federal Departments & Agencies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today released the following statement after the announcement of a proposal to temporarily reopen the government.
“There is no question that the shutdown has put our federal workforce, national security, and overall economy at serious risk. With today’s announcement, we are one step closer to ending the shutdown. Now, Democrats and Republicans must work together to fully reopen our government and make sure the spiraling chaos of the past 35 days cannot happen again in a mere three weeks,” said Spanberger. “Since the shutdown began, I have repeatedly voted for bipartisan funding bills that would restore the function of critical departments and agencies. I’ve pushed for bipartisan discussions, and today I am encouraged by signs that good-faith conversations are moving forward. Federal employees in Central Virginia and across the country have experienced severe financial pain at the hands of hyper-partisanship, and these public servants deserve much better from their elected officials.”
Last week, Spanberger joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues at the White House to discuss the shutdown and to underscore its negative impacts on federal workers in Central Virginia and across the country.
Yesterday, Spanberger delivered a speech on the U.S. House floor to call for an end to the ongoing government shutdown and to highlight how the shutdown is jeopardizing several aspects of U.S. national security. Click here to watch a full video of Spanberger’s speech.
Earlier this month, Spanberger met with Central Virginia federal employees impacted by the government shutdown. During the roundtable discussion in Henrico, Spanberger heard personal stories about how the record shutdown is impacting their lives and those they serve, while creating great uncertainty for their families.
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KAINE STATEMENT ON SENATE PASSAGE OF BILL TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today after the Senate passed legislation to reopen the government for three weeks:
“For more than a month, President Trump tyrannized hardworking public servants in an attempt to force Congress to do what he wants. I’m relieved we passed a bill to end this shutdown so millions of Americans can receive the government services they’ve been forced to go without and – because of our back pay bill – federal employees will finally get their paychecks. Now both parties in Congress must work to reach a long-term compromise and ensure a government shutdown is never again used as a negotiating tactic.”
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Governor Northam Statement on End of Partial Government Shutdown
RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today issued a statement following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a deal to bring the longest government shutdown in American history to an end.
“I’m relieved on behalf of Virginia’s 177,000 federal workers and their families that the government is reopening. This cannot happen again. Virginia’s federal workers do not deserve to be caught in the middle of Washington gridlock in another few weeks. I urge President Trump and Congressional leaders to find a long-term solution and ensure those who dedicate their lives to public service are never again caught in the middle of these political games.”
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