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Working to End the Shutdown |
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Dear Friend:
As you likely know, portions of the Federal Government -- including the Departments of Homeland Security, Treasury, Agriculture, Interior, HUD, Justice, Commerce, Transportation, and State, along with numerous critical smaller independent agencies, including the EPA, the Small Business Administration, and NASA, have been shut down due to a lapse in Congressional appropriations since December 22, 2018.
This shutdown is endangering the health and safety of the American people. Hundreds of Food and Drug Administration inspectors have been kept home, sharply reducing the number of inspections of America's food supplies. Agriculture subsidies from USDA have run out of funds, leaving farmers without loans for rural development. And mass call-outs at the TSA are shutting down airport terminals and leaving air travelers less secure.
Enough is enough. It's only a matter of time before more people start getting hurt. We need to end this shutdown, and we need to end it now.
You should know that my congressional offices in Washington, D.C., Worcester, Leominster, and Northampton remain open during their normally scheduled (9:00AM -- 5:00PM) hours.
If you are experiencing difficulty due to the shutdown, please do not hesitate to reach out using the phone numbers at the bottom of this email. I have also compiled a Q&A page to answer some frequently asked questions about how the shutdown will affect government services and employees.
I'd also like to update you on our efforts to end the shutdown and reopen the government.
You should know that Democrats are not opposed to smart, effective border security. For example, we are eager to talk about how we can improve and fully staff our ports of entry, or appropriately fund immigration courts on the border to adjudicate asylum cases.
On day one, the new Democratic House passed bipartisan compromise legislation, already passed by Senate Republicans, to end the Trump Shutdown, re-open government and secure our borders.
Instead of passing this legislation and discussing border security, the President has manufactured a crisis out of thin air, and is holding 6,869 public servants here in Massachusetts political hostage over a wall that he promised Mexico would pay for.
I think that's shameful, and you have my word that I will do everything in my power to end this shutdown and re-open government immediately.
Sincerely,
James P. McGovern
Member of Congress
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