Montgomery County Council sends letter to federal leaders calling for an end to the government shutdown

Council sends letter to federal leaders calling for an end to the federal government shutdown

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 22, 2019—On behalf of the entire Council, Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro sent a letter to President Donald Trump, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi calling for an end to the federal government shutdown.  The letter can be found below and the same is attached.  

January 22, 2019  

Dear President Trump, Leader McConnell, and Speaker Pelosi:  

The Montgomery County Council is writing to implore you to end the partial government shutdown and to get our federal government employees and federal contractors back to work receiving their salaries and payments.  As the partial federal government shutdown stretches past the month mark, it is having a dramatically negative fiscal impact on Maryland and Montgomery County.  

Maryland is home to 172,000 residents, who are currently impacted by the shutdown, and Montgomery County, with more than one million residents, makes up 18.2 percent of the regional federal workforce.  Every two weeks, federal working families across Maryland are losing $778 million in wages. Many of our residents are now in critical need of necessities like food, medication and money to pay their utility bills.  Their savings accounts have been depleted and their patience is wearing thin.     

While our nonprofit partners are doing all that they can to assist our residents, during the federal government shutdown, they too are stretched to their limits.  Local government staff and resources are being diverted to help federal government workers and their families who need food, health care, housing assistance and other critical resources.  

The shutdown also has caused a dramatic downturn in our restaurant and service industries because residents can no longer afford prepared meals or personal services.  Many other small businesses are suffering because our residents don’t have disposable income to spend.  

Already the longest government shutdown in history, each day that passes causes stress and unforeseen financial harm to our residents, businesses and the economy of our community and the entire Washington metropolitan area.  Even when the shutdown ends, the damage to our local economy is irreparable.  Our residents and their families deserve better.  

Again, please act with urgency to end this stalemate that has put the lives of those who serve the public on indefinite hold.  Restore the salaries of all federal workers, provide back pay for all federal workers and federal contractors who are not being paid, and let’s get back to the business of serving the people of our nation.  

Nancy Navarro

Council President 

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