Susan Davis: “We are about to witness the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Hundreds of thousands of Federal employees…”

“We are about to witness the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Hundreds of thousands of Federal employees, many in my own district, are not certain when or if their next paycheck is coming, and for what? For what? For a border wall? Mr. Speaker, in San Diego, we know walls. We have a triple fence, and we know there are real concerns on the border. Let's work on solving those problems. Spending billions of dollars on a wall won't. In San Diego, we have the most modern port of entry in the country. It works well to catch drugs and stop criminals. If the President wants border security, well, that, that should be our focus. Paola Avila, of the San Diego Chamber said it best: ``Our border region is an opportunity zone, not a danger zone.'' Let's take that opportunity and work to improve our border, not waste money on a wall. And let's not waste any more time. Federal employees want to get back to work. We have already passed legislation, bipartisan legislation, to end this shutdown. Let's reopen the government today. ____________________”