By Rep. Mike Thompson
Shutting down the federal government is unnecessary and harmful to the American people. This is not partisan. A handful of extreme MAGA Republicans are pushing us towards this costly train wreck.
Reasonable Republicans have distanced themselves from the circus: the Republican Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Turner said that this “would be a meaningless shutdown if it were to occur and it would absolutely impact people’s lives.” Representative Mike Lawler said that extreme MAGA Republicans “can’t define a win. They don’t know how to take yes for an answer. It’s a clown show.” Speaker Kevin McCarthy himself said that this situation “is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down.”
We have witnessed government shutdowns before, and history tells us they do not end well for the American people. The damage is real, and it’s clear that the impact of a shutdown would harm our communities.
- Our servicemembers, the brave men and women who protect our interests and freedoms both domestically and abroad, would go without pay. This would put major financial strain on our troops and their families while they literally risk their lives to keep us safe.
- Travel will be thrown into a state of chaos as airport delays become the norm rather than the exception. More than 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Officers would have to show up to do their critical jobs without getting paid.
- Visitors to our national parks in California every year (38,237,347 people) would be turned away or unable to fully access parks, monuments, and museums. This not only affects the enjoyment of Americans heading out on vacations but also leads to fewer tourism dollars for nearby communities, hurting small businesses and local economies.
- Essential research into debilitating diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s does not need to be shutdown. Our fight against these devastating illnesses will be severely hampered, delaying progress and robbing countless families of hope.
- Nearly 7 million women and kids would have their nutritional benefits jeopardized.
This manufactured shutdown led by a handful of MAGA Republicans in the House will jeopardize disaster relief. FEMA has already begun to limit disaster aid in preparation of a shutdown.
Government shutdowns cost a lot of money. Data from 2013 shows that the cost of the full government shutdown in lost work-hours alone totaled at least $2 billion. In previous shutdowns, economic output went down by billions, GDP growth was reduced by $20 billion, and the consequences were far reaching. We simply cannot afford a shutdown.
During the 2018-2019 shutdown, delays at the border led to higher freight rates which were ultimately passed on to consumers through higher prices. Our everyday lives would be impacted, and working-class Americans would bear the brunt of these price hikes.
The well-being of our citizens must be prioritized over partisan political games. The Senate has passed bipartisan legislation to avoid a shutdown. In the House, there are Democrats willing to work with reasonable Republicans to do the same. The sooner House Republican leadership follows suit and abandons its shutdown strategy, the sooner the government can get back to working on the issues important to the American people.
