In Augusta, Michelle Nunn Meets with Georgians Impacted by Government Shutdown, Says Perdue's Support for the Shutdown "Really Does Speak for Itself"

Press Release

At Candidate Forum Yesterday, Perdue Said His Support For The Shutdown "Speaks For Itself"

Georgians Speak For Themselves: "It was really devastating when those folks couldn't go to work and didn't know when they were getting paid. David Perdue doesn't understand that."

After David Perdue said his support for last year's government shutdown "speaks for itself" at yesterday's candidate forum, Michelle Nunn met with civilian workers from Fort Gordon and community members in Augusta -- each of whom shared their own story about how the shutdown David Perdue supported impacted the entire community.

"David Perdue's support for the shutdown 'speaks for itself,' and the Georgians I talked with today agree," said Nunn. "It furloughed hundreds of employees at Fort Gordon and the Savannah River Site, slowed VA claims for our veterans, and cost Georgia hundreds of millions. That's exactly what's wrong with Washington, but David Perdue continues to stand by his support for it."

Across Georgia and the nation, communities were crippled because of Washington's gridlock and political games. Augusta suffered -- Fort Gordon furloughed 753 employees, almost 85% of the employees at Fort Gordon's Eisenhower Army Medical center worked without pay, and over a thousand employees at the Savannah River Site were furloughed.

"Fort Gordon is our safe haven here in Augusta," said Augusta resident Clara Cook, whose late husband worked at the base. "So many people work there or have family members who do. It was really devastating when those folks couldn't go to work and didn't know when they were getting paid. David Perdue doesn't understand that."

And the shutdown also hurt our veterans who were already waiting too long to get care and had to wait even longer. The Department of Veterans Affairs was forced to furlough nearly 10,000 employees because of the 16 day shutdown. The shutdown David Perdue continues to support costed Georgia hundreds of millions of dollars in growth and caused 77,000 people in our state to be furloughed.

While Perdue has spent much of his career shipping American jobs overseas to places like China and Mexico, Nunn believes her work at President George H.W. Bush's Points of Light Foundation building volunteer organizations in cities and towns across Georgia and the United States has shown her how people can overcome huge differences in order to meet big challenges.

It's clear that David Perdue may be a fresh face but he would be more of the same in Washington -- business as usual is not what Georgia needs.

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