Elijah Cummings: “As we, Mr. Speaker, enter day 21 of the Trump shutdown, it is incumbent upon the House to do everything we can to…”

“As we, Mr. Speaker, enter day 21 of the Trump shutdown, it is incumbent upon the House to do everything we can to address the pain and suffering being felt by dedicated Federal workers who are missing their paychecks. Most of them are living from paycheck to paycheck, and now they approach this day, on Friday, having moved from paycheck to no check. Today, 800,000 Federal employees will not receive their first paycheck of this new year. Regardless of what Members think about the causes of the shutdown, every single one of us should agree that hardworking Federal employees who give their blood, their sweat, and their tears to lifting us up as a Nation should not be held hostage to politics as a result. Mr. Speaker, 380,000 Federal employees have been furloughed and locked out of their offices. Another 420,000 hardworking Federal employees are working without pay. We will see them at our airports. We will see them working today and tomorrow, as they have been for the last many days, without pay. Some even had to cancel already scheduled vacation days or sick leave to report to work. These 800,000 men and women include personnel at the Federal Aviation Administration; the Bureau of Prisons; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Homeland Security; the Food and Drug Administration; and the Departments of Agriculture, Treasury, and Justice.…”