Brown Meets with Workers Hurt By Shutdown

Senator Says Congress Shouldn’t Vote on Any Legislation until Shutdown is Over, Brown Has Called on President Trump to Reopen Government as Hardworking Americans Pay the Costs

WASHINGTON, DC –Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) met with workers who are hurt by the ongoing government shutdown. In Cleveland, Brown met with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, who are currently working without pay due to the government shutdown. Brown also spoke with UNITE HERE Local 23 food service workers in Arlington, Virginia, who work in the Smithsonian museums and at federal agencies in our nation’s capital and are currently furloughed as a result of the shutdown. Many of these contracted workers are paid hourly and often have no way of recouping lost hours and wages during a government shutdown.

Brown is calling on President Trump and Senator McConnell to end this shut down immediately and believes the Senate shouldn’t be voting on anything else this week until the government is reopened.

“The Senate did its job and passed a funding bill unanimously. It’s time President Trump do his job and realize his temper tantrum is hurting real people. Employees at NASA Glenn in Cleveland are off the job, TSA agents are working without pay, and farmers and rural communities aren’t getting the support they need from the Department of Agriculture,” said Brown. “He’s also hurting the many Americans who earn their living as custodians keeping our public spaces clean or as food service workers serving the public. They provide government services, but too often they are contracted out. They are paid too little, to begin with, and when the government shuts down, they have no way of making up those lost hours or wages. These are the people President Trump is hurting, and it needs to stop.”

Before the holidays, the Senate unanimously passed a clean funding measure, which Brown supported. The White House indicated it would support that short-term spending measure to fund the government before President Trump abruptly changed course and shut down the government. Last week, the House passed a similar measure to fund the government and reopen the government with bipartisan support.

Brown is calling on the House measure to get a vote in the Senate and for President Trump to sign the measure right away. Brown will continue pushing for President Trump to end the shutdown and put Ohioans back to work.