Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 2290, the Shutdown Guidance for Financial Institutions Act. This legislation would help protect Federal employees, government contractors, and small business owners from some of the financial hardships that arise from a government shutdown. The shutdown that lasted from late December 2018 through January of this year, the longest in our Nation's history, stretched 35 days and cost the economy billions of dollars. For more than a month, paychecks were put on hold for 800,000 Federal employees and work-stop orders went on to Federal contractors, resulting in tens of thousands of layoffs. Unlike Federal workers, contractors did not receive backpay. Thousands of families saw their lives upended. Missing one paycheck is a hardship for many, but missing two can be devastating. Not only were people struggling to make their rent or mortgage payments, some had to rely on food pantries to feed their families or ration their insulin because they could not afford the copay. This was through no fault of their own. During this time, a lot of companies stepped up with offers of assistance for people impacted by the shutdowns, including banks and credit unions that offered flexible payment options and no-interest loans.…”