Roy Blunt: “This is not very complicated. All the Essential Services Act says is that the people whom the government said had to…”

“This is not very complicated. All the Essential Services Act says is that the people whom the government said had to show up if there is no money to run the government would also be the people who would be prioritized and would be allowed to show up if there is a 2.5- percent cut. Who can argue with that? People are told: The weather is really bad today. If you think you have some risk to your person to get to work, do not come in. But these people are told: If you can possibly get to work, get to work. If the food safety inspector does not get there, 500,000 Americans could not work that day if they did not show up at every food safety facility where that one Federal employee has to be there for everybody to work. If the air traffic controller does not get there, and the runways are cleared off and planes can land and planes can take off, that may not happen if the air traffic controller is not there. This says those people would not be subject to furlough under the new Budget Control Act. They would have the same priority on a day when there is a reduction in the funding for a Department that they had in the day when there was no funding for the Department. If people are told they have to show up when there is no money to run the government, surely those same people need to show up if there is a 2.5-percent reduction. The definitions set by President Clinton and President Obama in their administrations are fine with me for this purpose.…”