[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 135 (Thursday, October 3, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SHUTDOWN CONSEQUENCES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Heck) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HECK of Washington. Mr. Speaker, in the run-up to the government 
shutdown, and now into day three, I have sensed a gamut of emotions 
coursing through the veins of this institution, including emotional 
fatigue, and frustration, and outrage.
  You can tell there is outrage because of the elevated decibel level. 
And for some of us as well is the emotion of sadness. I don't know how 
you can help but feel otherwise if you keep in mind what the 
consequences of our inaction are having beyond the doors of this 
Chamber. They are affecting real people, and they are having real 
consequences.
  I have the unbelievable privilege to represent Joint Base Lewis-
McChord in Washington State, and the tens of thousands of 
servicemembers and civilian employees who support them there. The 
civilian employees already experienced furlough days. Just a few weeks 
ago I spoke to one of those individuals. As a consequence of the 
furlough, she lost her car. I am not sure what the consequence of 
government shutdown will be on her life.
  You know, we tend to think of those people, I suspect here, often as 
what we would call GS-10s or -12s or -14s, but that's not the case. The 
preponderance of them are GS-2s and -3s and -4s. And a protracted 
shutdown will materially alter their lives. Real people, real 
consequences.
  Yesterday, we received an email from a woman who is the WIC, Women, 
Infant, Children, provider in our area. She has already had 16 phone 
calls from moms who are scared they are not going to be able to feed 
their children. Women, infants, children. Real people, real 
consequences.
  And as well, the wheels of commerce are grinding. We have been in 
contact with a commercial real estate person who is helping another 
person start up a propane distribution business in one of the 
communities in my district. He has one step left to go, that's a 
successful SBA application, which appears likely, except for he needs 
one more data point to submit. One more, from the Internal Revenue 
Service, which is not available to him now. He cannot submit. He cannot 
start his business. He cannot grow the economy. Real people, real 
consequences.
  So I am sad. I am sad because I know this does not have to be. I 
know, Mr. Speaker, that sitting up on that desk is a bill passed by the 
Senate last Friday, a clean, comprehensive bill which would reopen the 
Federal Government. And you know what else I know, and every single 
Member of this Chamber knows as well? It has the votes to pass if we 
would but bring it up for a vote.
  And then, Mr. Speaker, we could reopen the Federal Government and we 
could take into account the real people and the real consequences of 
our inaction. We could put out the ``Open for Business'' sign on the 
Federal Government and help those that we were sent here to help.

                          ____________________