Chairwoman Lowey Floor Statement on H.R. 264, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey delivered the following remarks in support of H.R. 264, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill. The legislation is a bipartisan bill to reopen federal agencies and ensure Americans receive their tax refunds on time:

The Trump Shutdown is now in its 19th day. It is simply outrageous that more than 800,000 federal employees are going without pay and that the American people are being denied vital services, all because of President Trump’s demands for a wasteful border wall.

House Democrats want to open the government, but the President and the Senate Republicans continue to obstruct and delay instead of working with us to get the people’s business done. The solution to this crisis is simple: pass the bills where we can agree, and extend funding for Homeland Security for a month to allow time for negotiation on border security and immigration policy.

I hope that my colleagues across the Capitol come to their senses and stop this ridiculous Trump Shutdown.

Unless Congress acts, the American people will continue to experience serious impacts from the shutdown. Taxpayers rely on the IRS to assist them in making big choices for their financial planning. That advice helps families make important decisions, like whether to put money into their savings or buy that new appliance to replace a broken one. With taxpayer assistance phone lines and centers closed for business, our constituents don’t have anyone they can turn to.

Outside of the IRS, small businesses, which make up the backbone of our economy, also take a hit, with no access to Small Business Administration loans during the shutdown. Those businesses will remain unable to make capital improvements, and entrepreneurs can’t even attend workshops with the SBA to seek advice.

We can reopen both the IRS and the SBA today, along with other vital agencies like the FCC, the SEC, and the federal Judiciary. Democrats are yet again ready to act, and I urge my colleague to support this bill.