“Democrats are Prolonging an Unnecessary Shutdown”
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan penned an op-ed in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune outlining how the ongoing Democrat-led government shutdown is harming hardworking Florida families, service members and small businesses across the state. If Senate Democrats continue refusing to pass the House-passed clean continuing resolution, thousands more Floridians will miss paychecks, and essential services will face mounting disruptions.
“No one serving their country, whether in uniform or in a federal job, should have to wonder when their next paycheck will come,” writes Buchanan in the op-ed. “It’s time for Democrats to join us and put the American people first.”
In the op-ed, Buchanan details how Senate Democrats are holding government funding hostage over a $1.5 trillion partisan wish list—one that would repeal the Working Families Tax Cuts, restore taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal aliens and cut $50 billion from rural health care. He warns that the shutdown is already impacting 155,000 federal workers in Florida, delaying small business loans and costing the state nearly $911 million in weekly economic output.
Read the full op-ed here or below:
Democrats’ Shutdown Is Hurting Florida Families
Vern Buchanan
Today, hundreds of thousands of hardworking federal employees across our state and country will open their bank accounts and see their paychecks missing. This is due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, which took effect last week on October 1.
Make no mistake: congressional Democrats are solely to blame for this shutdown. House Republicans acted responsibly to keep the federal government open by passing a clean continuing resolution to provide stopgap funding with no new partisan spending initiatives. Senate Democrats are refusing to pass our resolution, instead choosing to hold government funding hostage over unreasonable partisan demands.
Now, for the first time since Democrats shut down the government, many federal workers will officially not receive their paychecks. If Senate Democrats continue putting politics over the American people, service members, air traffic controllers and border patrol agents will soon join them.
These are hardworking Americans, not political pawns.
In Florida alone, nearly 155,000 federal workers are affected by the shutdown, including essential employees who continue to report for duty without pay. These are crucial employees who ensure critical government services are continually provided without delay. Last week, I met with leaders at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport to discuss what missed paychecks would mean for our already-strained air traffic controllers and TSA agents. I learned how the financial strain placed on these workers can lead to increased staffing shortages and heightened danger at our airports.
The shutdown’s impact goes far beyond federal employees. Our service members are staring down the barrel of missing the paychecks they need to support their families. Florida’s Coast Guard personnel are still conducting search-and-rescue missions, disaster relief teams remain on standby as hurricane season continues and service members at MacDill Air Force Base who serve and protect us are now bracing for missed paychecks as soon as October 15.
While these brave men and women continue to serve without pay, Senate Democrats are showing just how out of touch they’ve become. Chuck Schumer is openly bragging that “every day gets better,” showcasing just how disconnected Democrats are from the real-world pain American families are facing.
Florida’s families, workers and small businesses are already feeling the strain. According to the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Florida’s economy loses roughly $911 million in output each week the shutdown continues. The loss of federal paychecks could further result in a $1.7 billion reduction in consumer spending each month. Small businesses, the backbone of our local economies, are also paying the price. Federal loan programs that help job creators grow and hire have been frozen, delaying an estimated $296 million in monthly distributions in Florida alone.
Let’s be clear: this crisis was entirely avoidable.
Two weeks ago, I joined my Republican colleagues to pass a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open at the same funding levels Democrats themselves approved 13 times under President Biden. Senate Democrats blocked it, choosing instead to hold government funding hostage to a $1.5 trillion partisan wish list, one that would repeal the Working Families Tax Cuts, restore taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal aliens and cut $50 billion from rural health care.
Instead of working with Republicans to protect our troops, small businesses and families, Democrats are prolonging an unnecessary shutdown that weakens our economy, disrupts vital services and undermines public trust in government.
The solution is simple: Senate Democrats must pass House Republicans’ clean continuing resolution. It keeps the government funded, protects Social Security and Medicare, ensures our troops are paid and gives Congress time to complete full-year appropriations in a responsible way through good-faith negotiations, not political brinkmanship.
No one serving their country, whether in uniform or in a federal job, should have to wonder when their next paycheck will come. It’s time for Democrats to join us and put the American people first. This is not about party lines; it’s about Florida’s families who trust in us to lead.
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan represents Florida’s 16th Congressional District, which includes Manatee County and the southern portion of Hillsborough County.
