Rep. Kiggans Votes to Keep the Government Open and Working for Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, Rep. Jen Kiggans (VA-02) released the following statement on the eve of the government shutdown:

"Government shutdowns are bad for national security and bad for Hampton Roads. That's why I voted to keep the government open. The responsible, short-term measure House Republicans passed is designed to keep the government running while negotiations continue on year-long spending bills. Unfortunately, Democrats are demanding an additional $1.5 trillion in spending in exchange for just 30 days of government funding. This is unacceptable.

I firmly believe we must keep the government operational and working for Virginia's Second District and our country while we work to resolve the broader spending issues. A government shutdown will disrupt critical programs that protect our national security, withhold pay from hardworking federal employees, and delay the ability of government agencies to serve the American people. House Republicans voted for clean CRs 13 times under President Biden. It's time for Democrats to do the same-and to stop playing politics.

While this CR is only a short-term solution, it allows the full-year appropriations process to move forward and ensures federal agencies can continue serving our constituents without disruption. This spending bill is the most responsible and commonsense solution available to preserve this historically bipartisan process.

To ensure our servicemembers aren't caught in the middle of this, I introduced the Pay Our Troops Act. This critical piece of legislation is designed to guarantee that our military personnel, including our Coast Guard, will continue to receive their paychecks during a shutdown, and I am hopeful it will be voted on soon. We need a functional government and a guarantee that our troops are taken care of."