Last night, Rep. Madeleine Dean voted Yes on a series of bipartisan measures to reopen the federal government.
Fourteen days ago, President Trump shut down large parts of the federal government over his insistence on a costly, ineffective border wall. As media from across the political spectrum have repeatedly pointed out, the President continues to cite baseless statistics about the number of people crossing the border illegally and committing crimes in the United States.
Yesterday’s bills would reopen nine federal departments, including those that protect the border and deliver essential services to millions of Americans. “Democrats and Republicans came together and sent a clear message: it’s time to get the government up and running again,” said Rep. Dean. “The American people deserve it—and so do the 800,000 federal workers who are currently furloughed or forced to work without pay.”
“If the President means what he says about protecting America, then undermining our border security and law enforcement personnel is the wrong way to do it,” Rep. Dean stated.
The shutdown is also hurting constituents in Pennsylvania’s Fourth Congressional District. “My staff has already received calls from citizens concerned about paying their bills. One man, an air traffic controller, called us to say that he’s worried making about making his mortgage payment at the end of the month.”
The shutdown—one of the longest in decades—is increasingly unpopular, and Senate Republicans are beginning to defect from the President’s position. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado has called for an end to the shutdown, while Sen. Susan Collins wants to fund the government and treat the border wall debate separately.
Rep. Dean remarked, “I agree with House Democrats—as well as a rising number of our Republican colleagues. We don’t have to agree on everything, but shutting down the government over a single disagreement doesn’t make sense.”
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For more information, please contact Matt Bieber, Communications Director for Rep. Dean, at 202-569-2879 or Matthew.Bieber@mail.house.gov.
