[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 9, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            THE UNNECESSARY AND RECKLESS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

  (Ms. SHALALA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. SHALALA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great disappointment that I rise 
today on the 19th day of this unnecessary and reckless government 
shutdown.
  Just last week, this body passed the very same Republican funding 
bills that would open the government and keep Americans safe and 
secure.
  My community in south Florida is home to one of the biggest airports 
in our Nation, Miami International Airport. Just yesterday, 130,000 
passengers passed through the airport. Yet, TSA employees, air traffic 
controllers, and Customs and Border Protection agents who inspect 
international cargo are forced to work without pay, and must deal with 
the unbearable decision of choosing between paying for healthcare or 
putting food on the table.
  Nearly a quarter of the households in my district rely on food 
stamps. If this shutdown continues, these families are at risk of 
losing access to food.
  There is absolutely no reason why families should be evicted from 
their homes or go hungry because their nutrition benefits were left 
unprocessed.
  There is absolutely no reason why the Everglades and Biscayne 
National Parks, and our national treasures around the country, must 
continue to rely on the kindness of devoted volunteers to keep them 
from deteriorating.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been through a shutdown before. I oversaw 125,000 
employees at HHS during the longest shutdown.
  No one wins in a shutdown. It was painful.

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