Nita Lowey: “The Trump shutdown is now in its 34th day. Yesterday, the House passed six bills to reopen most of the government, and…”

“The Trump shutdown is now in its 34th day. Yesterday, the House passed six bills to reopen most of the government, and with this bill today, we can reopen the entire government while providing time to negotiate a full-year bill for the Department of Homeland Security. This continuing resolution would ensure that the Department of Homeland Security is open, and its public servants, including Secret Service agents, Transportation Security officers, Border Patrol, Customs officers, and the brave men and women of the Coast Guard are paid for their work. According to The New York Times, as many as 1 of every 10 Transportation Security officers are not coming to work. Frankly, they simply can't afford to. As a result, some of our busiest airports are deploying backup and reserve workers. Other airports have closed checkpoints and entire terminals. Notwithstanding the long lines for travelers, this reduction in staffing puts our Transportation Security workforce on the brink and could risk national security. Additionally, 41,000--41,000--Active-Duty servicemembers and 2,100 civilians in the Coast Guard are working without pay. No one should have to face the uncertainty of not knowing when they will get paid, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces. Each week of the Trump shutdown costs the United States economy $1.2 billion.…”