[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 2 (Thursday, January 4, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H138-H139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         PEOPLE ARE BEING BADLY HURT BY THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida [Mrs. Thurman] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. THURMAN. Mr. Speaker, real people are being hurt and hurt badly 
by this Government shutdown.
  I want to tell you about a lady who called this morning extremely 
upset and concerned about what was going to happen to her family. Her 
name is Rita Arrington. She is a nurse at the Veterans' Administration 
Hospital in Lake 

[[Page H139]]
City, FL. She is the only breadwinner in her family because her husband 
is disabled. She had a child to feed and clothe. She has bills to pay 
just like you and me.
  But for the last 20 days she has worked without pay because she is an 
essential Federal employee, and, get this, because of title 38, she is 
barred from working in a nursing home or some other facility in her off 
hours so that she could receive some compensation.
  I have gotten many, many calls from Federal employees in my district. 
Many work in the area of VA medical centers. They are working without 
pay, without any sort of financial security. Like all of us, they do 
have those bills to pay, children to feed and mortgages to pay, and we 
sit here continuing with our partisan bickering for the 20th day in a 
row.
  This is not what we were sent here to do. Our job is to ensure the 
responsible functioning of Government, and I cannot think of anything 
more irresponsible than to let these workers continue to work without 
pay for 1 more day.
  Mr. Speaker, veterans in my district depend on these health care 
workers, and they in turn depend on us. They elected us to represent 
them.
  Who really believes we are doing what we were sent here to do? A 
great nation does not act this way. We can place blame on the 
extremists and the liberals, but I am sick of it, and my constituents 
are sick of it.
  We may have our philosophical differences up here. But there is no 
reason why our Nation's Federal workers and Americans who depend on 
this Government should be used as political pawns. We can continue to 
debate our political differences, but how dare we threaten the 
livelihood of those health care workers who care for men and women who, 
through their life service, provide us with the very security and 
freedom we now enjoy?
  Today, the fourth continuing resolution ended, and there is currently 
no legislation providing funding for the VA. We must return Government 
to work and the people it serves.
  Things have gotten so bad that Bread of the Mighty Food Bank in 
Gainesville is now offering food assistance to furloughed employees of 
the veterans' medical center in Gainesville so they do not go hungry.
  It is a shame, and it is a shame brought on by this House.
  Then there is the young mother from High Springs. She was receiving 
disability but is now attending the University of Florida under 
vocational rehabilitation funding. Because of the shutdown of the 
Government, she is unable to pay her tuition. This was to be her final 
semester. She was looking forward to entering the work force and 
becoming a productive citizen. Now she will have to attend an extra 
semester, delaying her ability to get a job and provide for her family.
  If this is not bad enough, she has a young son who is disabled, who 
is also being affected. Now, because of the shutdown and lack of 
assistance she was receiving her son will lose the attention he was 
receiving from a qualified professional at home.
  To those who do not believe there is a disastrous ripple effect from 
the shutdown, let me assure you that there is. The qualified caregiver 
that was helping this young woman's son is also a mother herself. She 
is not getting paid either. This mother also has to feed her family.
  When is this going to end? I am now asking, please, from this 
leadership, let us present a clean CR. Let us not go a single more day 
advancing financial and emotional hardship on our work force. Let us 
face it, many have lost faith in Congress over the past 20 days. It is 
time, and moreover it is our responsibility to set aside our 
differences just for 15 minutes. That is the time it would take to vote 
for a clean CR and agree to put our Federal workers back to work.

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