Chairwoman Lowey Floor Statement on H.J. Res. 27, Continuing Resolution Through February 1

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey delivered the following remarks in support of H.J. Res. 27, a Continuing Resolution that would reopen the federal government through February 1:

Madam Speaker, we are now in the 25th day of the Trump Shutdown, the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. This past Friday, hundreds of thousands of dedicated federal employees went without a paycheck.

It is shameful that the stubborn whims of this president have harmed the financial security of America’s public servants. That includes federal law enforcement officials at the FBI, the very Secret Service agents who protect the President, and those who work tirelessly to protect our air travel, our national parks, our environment and public health.

The bill before us is the seventh – let me repeat, the seventh – piece of legislation Democrats have put on the House Floor to end the Trump Shutdown and get the government back to work for the American people. It will reopen government through February 1st, providing time for Congress to come to a full-year agreement without further jeopardizing vital services or the pay of federal workers.

It is long past time that Senate Republicans join us to reopen the government, pay our federal employees, and then negotiate on border security and immigration policy. I hope that my colleagues across the Capitol come to their senses and end the shutdown. I urge support for this bill, and yield back the balance of my time.