[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 25 (Friday, February 8, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H1468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IMPACT OF SHUTDOWN ON NOAA WEATHER SERVICE STATION EMPLOYEES

  (Mr. PANETTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, we just experienced our government's 
longest shutdown. For 35 days in California, nearly 40,000 Federal 
workers were furloughed and denied paychecks because of the shutdown, 
and that number included Federal employees at the NOAA weather service 
station in my district on the central coast of California.
  Now, recently, I met with those workers to hear how the shutdown 
impacted them, and I can tell you that, although they were affected by 
the loss of pay, they definitely did not lose their sense of service.
  For over 1 month, right in the middle of rainy season, with the 
potential for serious flooding, these public servants didn't get a 
paycheck. They didn't miss one day of work, not one shift; and that is 
why, in large part, in our region, we were safe.
  I can tell you, from what I saw when I met these employees, these are 
employees who are not just doing their job for the paycheck. They do it 
for the weather; they do it for the science; they do it for the job 
security; but most importantly, they do it for the service to our 
Nation.
  As negotiations in Washington continue, we must learn from, we must 
be inspired by, and we must be motivated by not just my NOAA employees, 
but every Federal worker across this country who has that sense of 
service.
  We do that here in Congress. That is how we not only avoid government 
shutdowns, that is how we should govern.

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