[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 16, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H616]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           REOPEN GOVERNMENT

  (Ms. CASTOR of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, the House will vote again today 
to reopen the United States Government and end President Trump's 
government shutdown.
  It is unwarranted and wrong to force our Coast Guard, TSA, Customs 
and Border officers, air traffic controllers, and others to work 
without pay.
  One of my neighbors who runs a small business in Tampa in her 
retirement years to support her son with mental disabilities advised me 
that: As a tax preparer, I cannot get responses from the IRS that 
affect my clients.
  Another neighbor, who hoped to retire by year's end and is also 
running out of hope, says: We are told there is no more funding after 
January 18 for the courts, and our colleagues in the U.S. Attorney's 
Office were not paid today, although they stay on the job prosecuting 
criminals.
  Our TSA officers, Customs and Border officers, and air traffic 
controllers at Tampa International Airport are outstanding. Twelve-year 
Officer Luis Mendoza advised me that: I have experienced previous 
shutdowns and close calls, but I really feel that this one is going to 
be a tough one to get through. The officers in Tampa are trying to hang 
in there because we do believe in the oath we took to protect the 
flying public and guard against threats. But many are trying to figure 
out how to get through this.
  Madam Speaker, I urge our Senate colleagues and President Trump to 
take up our bipartisan bill and reopen this government.

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