Rep. Takano Joined by Eight Other California House Democrats on House Floor to Speak Against the Government Shutdown

Press Release

Earlier today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside) was joined by eight other Members from the California House Delegation on the House floor to speak against the government shutdown and to lay out its devastating effects on the state.

Accompanied by Ranking Member Maxine Waters (CA-43), Rep. Mike Honda (CA-17), Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod (CA-35), Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-2), Rep. Susan Davis (CA-53), Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), and Rep. Tony Cardenas (CA-29), Rep. Takano anchored the special order hour for Democratic Members of the California Delegation to speak to the American people about how the shutdown is harming their communities.

On the floor, Rep. Takano said, "In my district, the 41st District, which represents Riverside, Moreno Valley and Perris, the largest employer is March Air Reserve Base with 8,500 people working at the base in some capacity. When the shutdown hit, 500 of those workers were affected by the furloughs. While Congress passed legislation allowing these employees to go back to work, roughly 1,000 national guardsmen at the base still will not be able to drill this month and will not receive pay.

"It's not just our service members who are hurt by this reckless shutdown. Low-income children in my district are suffering too. The Riverside County Office of Education receives federal funding through the Head Start program to provide childhood development services and promote school readiness for children under the age of five. Because of the shutdown, the County is not able to draw down their grant money, jeopardizing these vital services for nearly 3,500 young children in Riverside County."

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Rep. Waters: "Tomorrow will mark the first paycheck many affected employees will miss as a result of the shutdown. These are hardships many in my district cannot afford. Each day this senseless shutdown continues risks further irreparable damage to my district's economy, families and businesses. It must end now."

Rep. Honda: "This government shutdown and the looming threat of an unprecedented government default are doing significant harm to our economy. The only ones that can't see that are Speaker Boehner and the Tea Party Republicans. Let's stop these games, re-open the government, start the process of ending this manufactured crisis, lift this cloud from over our economy, and have the vote that Americans have been waiting for."

Rep. Chu: "As a former rape counselor, I know firsthand the damage that domestic violence and rape causes. If this GOP shutdown forces shelters and crisis centers to close their doors, victims will have nowhere else to turn. We can't just leave victims to fend for themselves. The House Republicans are no longer just behaving recklessly--they are putting lives in danger."

Rep. Negrete McLeod: "Without a solution to the federal government shutdown, low-income women and children will suffer without programs that Congress fought hard to secure. Federally funded programs like the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) is at risk of having its funding diminish under a government shutdown. In California alone, 1.5 million low-income women and children would be impacted should Congress not act to end this shutdown. Letting a government shutdown occur when children's nutrition is at risk is irresponsible. Let us be part of the solution and end political gamesmanship that hurt average Americans. Let us feed America's hungry children."

Rep. Huffman: "Visitors from all over America, and in fact all over the world, come to the North Coast's public lands. Thanks to the Republican shutdown much of that economic activity is grinding to a halt. Let's stop posturing, let's stop the PR stunts, let's stop the "Hollywood storefronts," stop deflecting, and stop insulting the intelligence of the American people. Let's have an up or down vote to reopen our public lands and, indeed, to reopen our government."

Rep. Lowenthal: "While our economy is held hostage by Speaker Boehner, our hands are tied as we struggle to reopen the government to pay our bills and avoid an economic catastrophe. It is time to focus on creating jobs and growing the economy."

Rep. Cardenas: "It was just reported that the districts around Los Angeles, including the one that I represent, every day the average amount of money that is lent to small businesses, every single day, is $360,000 in loans from the Small Business Administration. That's more than $7.5 million per month. Last year in our district, more than $84 million in loans were approved. That's the equivalent of 2,400 new jobs last year. That's good government at work. However, now that the Republican shutdown is in full force and in place, zero dollars are being lent through the SBA in my district. That means zero new jobs every single day that the Republican shutdown is in place."