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Lawmaker on Senate floor warns 27-day shutdown is harming federal workers and Alaskans, urges colleagues to stay
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Summary
On the Senate floor a lawmaker warned that a 27-day government shutdown is leaving Capitol Hill staff and officers unpaid, disrupting SNAP and WIC benefits for roughly 66,000 Alaskans, delaying permits and medical approvals, and urged colleagues to remain until the shutdown is resolved.
A lawmaker speaking on the Senate floor said the government has been shut down for 27 days and warned that the lapse is already hurting federal employees and people who rely on federal benefits.
"27 days where the government is shut down," the lawmaker said, adding that while the chamber appears to be operating with pages on the floor and people in the gallery, many staff and Capitol Hill police "are not getting paid." She said officers report paying for childcare and commuting out of pocket and that families are feeling financial and mental-health strain.
The lawmaker gave local examples to illustrate the effects: a constituent in Fairbanks faced "a bill for heating oil of nearly $2,500," a Petersburg resident had a telehealth appointment canceled, an Anchorage couple awaiting an FDA compassionate-use approval for cancer treatment faced delays, and merchant mariner credential renewals and Army Corps permits needed for housing projects in Sitka are stalled. The speaker said small businesses and school districts have been unable to secure SBA loans or emergency impact-aid construction dollars for repairs.
The lawmaker warned that food benefits may be interrupted: "snap payments will not be processed... for the many, many, 66,000 in Alaska who rely on those food benefits," and said WIC payments are also at risk. She thanked the president for declaring a disaster after Typhoon Halong but said food banks already are seeing increased demand as winter approaches.
On procedure, the lawmaker said the Senate would hold its first vote at 05:30 and previewed possible "rifle-shot" votes to pay particular groups. She said she has "signed on to that bipartisan measure" to pay U.S. Capitol Police and indicated support for measures to release SNAP benefits, but cautioned that a piecemeal approach could leave other essential workers behind.
"We need to act to end the shutdown," the lawmaker said, urging colleagues to remain until the work is done, then yielded the floor.
No formal votes or final outcomes on funding bills were recorded in the remarks. The lawmaker’s comments were a floor statement urging immediate action and highlighting constituent-level consequences of the shutdown.
