On the recordJanuary 10, 2019
Today, we enter day 20 of the Trump shutdown. President Trump has spent years as a reality television host, but, unfortunately, reality is still not his strong suit. This week, President Trump abused the backdrop of the Oval Office to feed the American people divisive and distorted rhetoric, while still ignoring the reality that a wall is wasteful and it is impractical and inconsistent with our values. President Trump has tried to convince the American people that there is a crisis at our border. The crisis, Madam Speaker, here is one of Donald Trump's own making: a government shutdown that has gone on too long. This is affecting real lives. This is a humanitarian crisis. Federal workers and their families, 80 percent of whom live outside of the metropolitan area of D.C., will go without a paycheck this Friday because of this shutdown. Madam Speaker, 7,000 workers in North Carolina are directly affected by the shutdown. Hundreds of thousands of public servants across the country are worried to death. Senate Republicans have a choice. Do your constitutional duty, my fellow Senators. Do your job as a Senate. Pass the House bill that we have sent over to you. ____________________
