Senate Democrats Block Bill to Pay Federal Workers During Schumer Shutdown

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), an original cosponsor of the Shutdown Fairness Act, urged his Democratic colleagues in the Senate to support the legislation today before they voted to block it. The Shutdown Fairness Act, introduced by Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) and cosponsored by Senator Sullivan, would guarantee pay for essential federal employees who are required to work during a government shutdown. These include Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel, air traffic controllers, members of the military, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and other federal law enforcement officers.

The bill failed to reach the necessary 60-vote threshold to advance. In a procedural move, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) voted no in order to be able to bring the bill up again for consideration.

Click here or video above to watch Sullivan's remarks.

"I have a bill with Senator Johnson of Wisconsin that we're getting ready to vote on here in the Senate," said Sen. Sullivan in a video released today ahead of the vote on the Shutdown Fairness Act. "I'm hoping it's going to break this logjam of this very unnecessary shutdown. It's day 23 of the Schumer shutdown. We're starting to hear some really interesting language from Democrat leaders here in the Congress. Senator Schumer recently said "every day" of this shutdown "gets better for us." Who's us? I don't know who "us" is. The deputy whip over there in the House, somebody named Clark-not sure who the heck she is, but she recently said, of course "families are going to suffer, but it's the only way we get leverage." Who's we? I don't know, but it's certainly not Alaskans. I'll tell you who it's really not. It's not federal workers who are required to go to work without getting paid. So that's what my bill is going to do. Today, my bill is going to say, if you're a federal worker-think about it, Capitol Police; look at these great heroes-they're required to work. They're not getting paid. ICE, air traffic control, TSA, all these great Alaskans, all these great Americans, they're required to work, let alone the Marines and the Army and the Navy. They're required to work during the Schumer shutdown. They're not getting paid. My bill simply says, if you're required to work during a shutdown, you should get paid. Everybody should be for that. Everybody should be for that. So hopefully that's going to break the logjam here in the United States Senate.

"But, look, when Schumer and this woman Clark-I don't know who she is-says we're benefiting, "we," because of a shutdown is hurting millions of families, I think the jig is up. This is a partisan shutdown. The only reason they're doing it is because they're scared of the far-left of their party. Come on, let's open the government. Vote for my bill, Senator Johnson's bill. Pay the people who are working, for goodness sake. Let's compromise on that. Let's get this government open."

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