U.S. Rep Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, has introduced legislation that would allow for Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration employees to get paid during the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Both bills have been referred to the House Appropriations Committee.
The government shut down Wednesday after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to reach an agreement to keep government programs and services running by the deadline.
Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by Trump’s Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide.
“I am not going to stand by and let our servicemembers and frontline workers get caught in the middle,” Van Drew said in a statement. “That is why I have introduced bills to make sure the Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees keep getting paid, and also why I am cosponsoring legislation to protect pay for our troops and border patrol in the case of a shutdown. The men and women who serve this country should never have to worry about a paycheck because of Washington’s dysfunction. It is time for Democrats to do what is right and put the American people first.”
A new, 22,500-square-foot veterans outpatient clinic is scheduled to open in November on Route 9 in Linwood, federal officials said.
Van Drew puts the blame for the shutdown on Democrats.
“Let’s be clear: House Republicans did our job,” Van Drew said. “We passed a clean bill to responsibly keep the government open, protect our veterans and seniors, and give Congress time to finish full-year funding bills. Democrats refused. They demanded $1.5 trillion in partisan spending, cuts to rural hospitals, and taxpayer dollars for illegal immigrants. These are the very same people who used to say shutdowns were dangerous and hurt families, but here we are.”
U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said residents are nervous about what comes next following the shutdown.
“And we need to recognize that a president who can’t even bother to learn about the hurt he is instructing his party to cause when it comes to health care, our bills, is not one that is looking out for them. We need leaders who understand what is going on. We need leaders who care about the people they are supposed to be leading. We need leaders who will actually be the adults in the room,” said Kim said during a floor speech Tuesday. “And so I rise today to make that promise to New Jersey and to the American people — I will keep fighting for you and fight with you — for your families, for our country that I still believe in, and for a future that looks nothing like this moment in time.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Nicholas Huba:
609-272-7046
nhuba@pressofac.com
X @acpresshuba
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