WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today released the following statement after the announcement of a proposal to temporarily reopen the government.

“There is no question that the shutdown has put our federal workforce, national security, and overall economy at serious risk. With today’s announcement, we are one step closer to ending the shutdown. Now, Democrats and Republicans must work together to fully reopen our government and make sure the spiraling chaos of the past 35 days cannot happen again in a mere three weeks,” said Spanberger. “Since the shutdown began, I have repeatedly voted for bipartisan funding bills that would restore the function of critical departments and agencies. I’ve pushed for bipartisan discussions, and today I am encouraged by signs that good-faith conversations are moving forward. Federal employees in Central Virginia and across the country have experienced severe financial pain at the hands of hyper-partisanship, and these public servants deserve much better from their elected officials.”

Last week, Spanberger joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues at the White House to discuss the shutdown and to underscore its negative impacts on federal workers in Central Virginia and across the country.

Yesterday, Spanberger delivered a speech on the U.S. House floor to call for an end to the ongoing government shutdown and to highlight how the shutdown is jeopardizing several aspects of U.S. national security. Click here to watch a full video of Spanberger’s speech.

Earlier this month, Spanberger met with Central Virginia federal employees impacted by the government shutdown. During the roundtable discussion in Henrico, Spanberger heard personal stories about how the record shutdown is impacting their lives and those they serve, while creating great uncertainty for their families

Background

Since her swearing-in, Spanberger has fought to provide peace of mind to federal workers and to fully reopen the government. Earlier this month, Spanberger introduced bipartisan legislation that would ensure military personnel and law enforcement receive their salaries in the event of a lapse in funding or budget impasse, such as the ongoing partial government shutdown. And on her first day in office, Spanberger helped introduce two bills that would make sure federal workers receive backpay once the ongoing government shutdown ends and that Members of Congress do not receive their full salaries during a shutdown.

And during her first days in office, Spanberger joined a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass bipartisan legislation that would end the ongoing government shutdown. The legislation also included a provision Spanberger helped introduce to retroactively restore pay that federal employees have been denied during the partial shutdown.

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