On the recordJanuary 9, 2019
Madam Speaker, right now, 12,643 Pennsylvanians are being denied a paycheck because of a partisan fight they have no control over. It is time to end this shutdown and restore our government's ability to protect our country and deliver vital services to our people. The longer this shutdown goes on, the worse the impact will be, not just on Federal workers, but on the communities that depend on them. Unless we act, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will be at risk. Over 94,000 families in my district depend on SNAP, and national data shows that over 40 percent of beneficiaries are children. I have heard from food banks in my community that they expect a twelvefold increase in people who need assistance if SNAP recipients don't receive their benefits. That is unacceptable. We must reaffirm our most fundamental duty: to stand with and support our most vulnerable constituents. Let's act to protect people across this country from hunger and malnutrition by protecting SNAP and reopening the government. ____________________
