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Long before the #TrumpShutdown began, Donald Trump, as a candidate, and then as President, resorted to fear, cynicism and misinformation for personal and political gain.
There is a crisis in America, but it is not the crisis the President wants us to believe. It is a crisis he’s caused, felt right now at the kitchen tables of American families who are trying to figure out how they will make ends meet and pay their bills. #TrumpShutdown
Dozens of Vermonters have contacted my office to urge the President and Republican leaders in the Senate to stop playing politics with their lives and reopen the federal government. #TrumpShutdown Read their stories HERE: leahy.senate.gov/press/011019da…
VT’ers -- like a veteran whose employees cannot pay their bills. A man worried about his 88-year-old aunt. The sister of a woman stuck with $5500 in bills for OFFICIAL government travel. They all shared their #TrumpShutdown stories with me. Read them HERE: leahy.senate.gov/press/011019da…
One #VT'er wrote: "I’m writing you to suggest that this kind of government shutdown shouldn't be on the negotiation table, bc it holds out the possibility that the suffering of the American people can be used as political leverage. There are other ways.” I agree. #TrumpShutdown
Another #VT'er wrote: “To be sure, we do not believe that capitulation to the Republican demand for the Wall is the answer; yet the toll on the people of holding the government hostage to such outrageous demands must not be ignored.” I agree. #TrumpShutdown
The great irony of the #TrumpShutdown is that it’s making our borders less safe. 88 percent of the DHSecurity, including 54,000 at CBP, 51,000 at TSA and 42,000 at Coast Guard are working without pay. IF this WAS about border security, they would be getting PAID.
There is a crisis. It's the crisis at the kitchen table as families struggle to make ends meet. A crisis of morale for the dedicated people who serve our country, a crisis of confidence in the young people doubting a career in public service. & the President simply walks away.
There is another artificial crisis created by one man – President Trump. We have bipartisan bills before us that could reopen the government. It’s time for Republicans & Democrats to join together to tell the President to put a stop to these self-inflicted wounds. #TrumpShutdown
