Hill: Shutdown Holding Federal Workers, Military Pay at Risk; Calls on Senate to Act

Rep. French Hill, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said the government shutdown is jeopardizing federal operations and national-security readiness and urged the Senate to pass the House-passed continuing resolution.

"I don't understand why Democrats are holding federal workers, our national guard, our military hostage for asking for 1,500,000,000,000 in new spending," Hill said, arguing that the demands include doing away with work requirements for able-bodied Americans and extending a tax credit for insurance companies.

Hill framed the stalemate as a practical problem for governance. He said the appropriations process must be completed for fiscal 26 and that the furlough of staff at the Bureau of Labor Statistics is hindering policymakers. "We don't have the data to support macroeconomic decision making because we've furloughed the Bureau of Labor Statistics," he said.

Hill urged listeners in states with Democratic senators to call Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office at (202) 224-6542 to press for reopening the government. He said the shutdown has tangible consequences for pay and readiness for service members and for the ability of officials to make timely fiscal and economic decisions.

The interview included an exchange in which the host suggested that long-running partisan attacks and shifting global supply chains have left the United States more vulnerable — a point Hill linked to the need to finish appropriations and to address supply-chain resilience. The congressman said completing the budget process and restoring agency staffing are immediate steps to address those vulnerabilities.

The interview concluded with Hill reiterating that stalled appropriations and furloughs are obstructing routine federal functions and that action in the Senate is required to resolve the impasse.