WASHINGTON — On Day Eight of the Democrat Government Shutdown, Speaker Johnson held a press conference alongside House GOP Leadership and Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole to highlight the negative consequences being wrought in states around the country by this shutdown, and to remind the American people that the fastest and bestway to ensure U.S. troops, TSA agents, and air traffic controllers don’t miss a paycheck is for Senate Democrats to vote to reopen the government.
“I want everybody to listen to me very carefully. Hakeem Jeffries and the House Democrats are clamoring to get back here and have another vote because some of them want to get on record and say they’re for paying the troops. We already had that vote, it’s called the CR,” Speaker Johnson said.
Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.
On the pain caused around the country by the Democrat Government Shutdown:
Today we’re going talk to about some of the consequences of that shutdown and what it means to real people around this country. Real Americans are experiencing the devastating cost of their political antics here. And I’m going to read you some sample quotes and headlines that we just collected yesterday from around the country.
Here’s a headline from The Hill: “GOP Leaders Point to Capitol Police Missed Paychecks as Shutdown Drags On.” So today, the U.S. Capitol police officers are going to come to work to bravely protect U.S. government officials and staff in these dangerous times. And they’re going to do that without pay. Many Democrats in this chamber, by the way I want to note, are going to receive paychecks this month while the men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police who are protecting them will not.
Here’s another headline from the New York Post: “Aviation Groups Warn, A Government Shutdown Will Delay Aircraft Safety Inspections, Maintenance Work on Critical Equipment.” While Air Traffic Controllers are going to continue to serve in their posts, critical safety inspections are going to stop, increasing risk for air travelers that affects everybody.
Here’s another headline from Georgia Local Media: “Central Georgia Food Banks Prepare for a Surge of New Clients During the Government Shutdown.” It’s a sad headline. Remember, Georgia’s two Democrat Senators, Warnock and Ossoff, have now voted five times to keep the government closed down – five times so far. I suspect they may continue and they’re hurting real people in the state of Georgia.
Here’s one from New Hampshire local media: “National Parks Caught in the Crosshairs of Government Shutdown.” Let me point out that both senators from New Hampshire, Senator Shaheen and Hassan, have repeatedly voted to keep the government, and New Hampshire’s National Park sites, closed by extension.
How about New Jersey? Here’s a headline yesterday: “Hospital At-Home Telehealth Programs on Hold Amid Government Shutdown.” You got two Democrat senators in New Jersey, Andy Kim and Cory Booker, and they have repeatedly voted against funding these programs, which New Jerseyans rely upon daily.
Here’s one from Michigan: “Michigan Nonprofit Leaders Said a Shutdown Would Be at Best Disruptive and at Worst, Potentially Devastating for Local Communities”. There are two Democrat senators in Michigan, Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, and they have voted now five times to enable this devastation upon their communities.
One more, and I could do this all day. Here’s one more from CBS News: “Government Shut Down Fears Have Colorado Food Banks Bracing for Potential New Visitors.” You guessed it. Two Democrat senators from Colorado, Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, they keep voting over and over to keep the government closed.
On the House passing the CR to ensure troops and air traffic controllers are paid:
I want everybody to listen to me very carefully. Hakeem Jeffries and the House Democrats are clamoring to get back here and have another vote because some of them want to get on record and say they’re for paying the troops. We already had that vote — it’s called the CR. Every Republican and at least one Democrat had the common sense to say, of course we want the government to stay in operation. Of course we want to pay our troops and our air traffic controllers and our border patrol agents, TSA agents, and everybody else. We did have that vote. The House, I keep saying, the House did its job. We did that almost three weeks ago. And every Democrat in the House, except one, voted against it.
They voted that they did not want the troops to be paid. They did not want TSA agents to be paid. They did not want air traffic controllers, border patrol agents and all the rest. They live with that vote. They made that decision. The House is done. The ball is now in the Senate’s court. It does us no good to be here dithering on show votes. We did it. We sent the product over. It is clean. It is 24 pages in length. It’s the most bare minimum that’s necessary to keep the lights on for the people. Chuck Schumer and 43 of his colleagues, Democrats, continue to do the wrong thing. We’re not having it.
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