[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 2 (Thursday, January 4, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONSEQUENCES OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Morella] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker and Members of this body, it was yesterday 
that I took part in a bipartisan press conference that dealt with a 
group called the Federal Employee Emergency Assistance. It was there 
that we discussed the fact that the people who are receiving the 
assistance by and large are people who are receiving income in the 
range of $20,000 to $27,000 a year, who are single heads of household; 
most of them are women.
  Can my colleagues imagine these people who are not receiving a 
paycheck who have to pay rent or a mortgage or utility bills? Well, I 
and my colleagues who were there have pledged support to this fund, but 
this fund should not be so overloaded, as it is now, with the calls 
that are coming in, the emergency calls, if we did not have this 
shutdown.
  This is day 20. I have spoken often about it. My colleagues have 
spoken often about it. Every day the circumstances become more dire in 
terms of the consequences. We have problems now with the Centers for 
Disease Control not being able to perform its functions and NIH not 
being able to perform their functions. Blood banks are running out of 
the supply of blood. Meals on Wheels is facing the consequences of a 
shutdown.
  We know also that there has been some discussion about having a 
continuing resolution bit by bit to put a few more agencies back in 
operation. I would submit to this House that if we have a bit-by-bit 
continuing resolution, that we are going to have a lot of 
organizations, people, American citizens, falling through the cracks, 
because there are enormous consequences and ripple effects of this 
shutdown.
  Home buyers, home buyers who are looking for the VA or FHA loans 
would be affected by it. Federal contractors would be affected by it. I 
brought just a few of the many, many letters I have received from 
Federal contractors. That means jobs and continuation of employment.
  HIV-AIDS, a stop work order for a company in Montgomery County, MD. 
Another company that is dependent on tourism in publications has had to 
lay off people. Another company that deals with the EPA. Another one 
that deals with the EPA through Superfund. Can my colleagues imagine 
the toxic waste sites that will not be cleaned because of this?
  Aerospace, information and environment, NASA, these are all 
contractors that even if we pay our Federal employees, and I have been 
involved very much in making sure they will be paid, these Federal 
contractors will not be paying these people who are furloughed and some 
may even lose health benefits over a period of time.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I would say we have got to work together. A clean 
continuing resolution is what we want until we reach the resolution of 
this budget in terms of the deliberation. I say to the President, get 
that 7-year budget scored by CBO in front of the negotiators. I say to 
the negotiators, stay there, stay there until it is done. I say to my 
colleagues, I hope the President and I hope my colleagues will consider 
withholding their salaries when Federal employees are not being paid. I 
say to my colleagues, there should be no recess for this House until we 
get the Government back in full operation.

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