Weekly Update
Week Three of the Government Shutdown…
Today is day 24 of the government shutdown—the second longest shutdown in American history.
As the shutdown drags on, we’re grappling with a new math problem: the shrinking number of weeks provided by the continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government.
Let me explain. The House-passed CR that Senate Democrats keep voting against—prolonging the government shutdown—only funds the government for seven weeks or until November 21.
If you’re doing the math, you know this is bad news. This means that even if Senate Democrats were to pass the CR and open the government tomorrow, Congress would only have four weeks to pass twelve funding bills through both chambers. By anyone’s yardstick, that’s a tight deadline.
But that’s the best-case scenario. If Senate Democrat persist with their political games, we’re going to have to start from scratch with a new CR. I have a solution for this, and I discussed this week on CNN.
Click HERE or below to watch.
Meanwhile, federal workers like air traffic controllers are still being asked to work without the promise of pay. Our controllers have already missed a partial paycheck and stand to lose out on their first full paycheck next week. In addition, federal programs that Arkansans rely on like SNAP are set to run out of funding by the first of November.
The National Nuclear Security Administration is furloughing about 1,400 employees, risking the readiness of our nuclear arsenal. And with USDA payments for supplemental disaster and economic aid frozen, farmers are left without support during the fall harvest. As you can see, the consequences of a shutdown are grave and compounding.
Amidst all this uncertainty, I know families in our district are feeling the strain. Please know that reopening the government remains my top priority. My team and I are committed to supporting you, and we're here to take your calls and help navigate any challenges caused by the shutdown.
What do you think?
I want to hear your thoughts. Senate Democrats are prolonging the government shutdown, holding out for a set of demands. Chief among them is a permanent extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies.
Here’s the question.
Should Democrats end the shutdown by passing the clean CR or should they continue holding out until their demands on Obamacare are met. |
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Have a great weekend ahead, and I hope to see you around! Be sure to check out my website, X, and Instagram pages in the meantime. |