Tina Smith: “I thank my colleague from Ohio for raising these issues about the skills gap. This is something that is very important…”

“I thank my colleague from Ohio for raising these issues about the skills gap. This is something that is very important in Minnesota, as well, and I agree with him. I think this should be a place where we could find some bipartisan agreement. So I thank him for his words today. Mr. President, today I rise to talk about another gap that I would like to ask my colleagues for help in filling. For many Americans, the 35-day government shutdown during the last holiday season is a distant memory. The national parks have reopened with their usual programming; airports are running normally; and Federal employees are back on the job with the backpay they had lost through no fault of their own because of the Federal Government shutdown. But for one group of workers, things are not back to normal. These are the low-wage workers employed by Federal contractors serving in cafeterias, providing building security, and keeping Federal buildings clean. These Federal contractors work shoulder to shoulder with Federal employees, and though they are often invisible, they play a crucial role in keeping the Federal Government working for Americans. Thousands--potentially hundreds of thousands--of these workers at Federal facilities all across the country were not allowed to work during the Federal Government shutdown. They went without paychecks during the height of the holiday season. They skipped Christmas gifts. They missed tuition payments.…”