From the Coalition on Human Needs (http://www.chn.org):
Call our Senators today: Tell them no other Senate votes until they vote on funding the government
We are now in this government shutdown with no end in sight. Roughly 800,000 federal workers still remain either furloughed or working without pay. Everyday people are hurting because of a lack of funding for essential services all across America.
The Senate should not take up any other legislation until they have voted on the House-passed appropriations bills that would end the shutdown. Thus far, Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to put these spending bills up for a vote – even though these same bills have previously passed either the full Senate or its Appropriations Committee by overwhelming margins. Meanwhile, Senate business as usual is scheduled to restart tomorrow evening.
But the impact of the shutdown is worsening, and the Senate cannot afford to lose any more time. If 41 Senators act, they can block consideration of most bills until the Senate has voted on the spending bills that would reopen the government.
Call our Senators and tell them: Block consideration of legislation not related to funding the government until the Senate has voted on the House-passed appropriations bills.
Call the Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121 A switchboard operator will connect you directly with your Senators. Alternatively, you can call them directly—find contact information:
- Senator Robert Casey: http://casey.senate.gov
- Senator Pat Toomey: http://toomey.senate.gov
Sample script: “I am a constituent of Senator [NAME]. The government is still shut down, and everyday people are hurting. Reopening the government must be the Senate’s first priority. I am asking the Senator to block consideration of bills not related to funding the government until the Senate has voted on the House-passed appropriations bills.”
Further background: The government shutdown is senseless, denying income to workers and requiring hundreds of thousands of federal employees to work without pay. The President threatens it might last “a very long time”—and all because of a border wall that makes no sense.
Recently the newly sworn-in House of Representatives wasted no time in trying to reopen the government. The House passed (241-190) legislation that would fund six of the seven lapsed spending bills for the rest of the fiscal year. The House also passed (239-192) a stopgap spending bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8, a move that would allow negotiations on immigration and border security measures to continue while allowing TSA agents, border security personnel, and other DHS employees to receive their paychecks on time and get back to work for those who are furloughed.
Mitch McConnell knows this. Nevertheless, he is blocking the House-passed bills from the Senate floor, even though the full Senate previously passed these identical bills, several with a huge bipartisan margin, and the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the rest with similar bipartisan support. But right now, he would rather hurt everyday people by denying funding for essential services all across America, whether it’s Ohio or Indian Country—all to score political points with the administration.
Please call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and tell our Senators: No new Senate business until the Senate has voted on the House-passed appropriations bills.
Find out more about the shutdown at our Voices for Human Needs blog.
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