Senate Democrats are largely toeing their party line in the second week of the government shutdown, holding firm on extending Obamacare subsidies despite some legislators acknowledging the detrimental effects of a shutdown for their constituents.
Democratic Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Wednesday that the shutdown became untenable “a week ago” — in other words, that a shutdown was always untenable. Hicklooper voted “no” minutes earlier on the GOP’s clean continuing resolution that would reopen the government.
Hickenlooper described flight cancellations and air traffic controller staffing issues during the shutdown as “a real problem,” particularly for a state that houses the sixth busiest airport in the world. He also described the impact of the shutdown on Colorado’s autumn tourism rush.
“They’ve done an admirable job of keeping the [national parks] open, but dramatically limited access, you know, visitors’ conveniences and things like that,” Hickenlooper told the DCNF. “It’s not the same experience it would be otherwise. This is peak leaf viewing. So all these small, little towns, you know, 10% of their annual sales happen in the next two weeks. So that’s a real issue.”
The Senator also noted his concern for the Denver Federal Center, a major regional hub for federal government operations in the western U.S. that serves as a multi-agency federal campus providing office space, laboratories, warehouses, and logistical support for more than two dozen federal agencies.
“There’s a huge federal complex out in Lakewood, Colorado, and those are our constituents,” Hickenlooper told the DCNF. “There’s 10s of 1000s of people that are, you know, they might get paid back, but they’re having a hard time paying rent, and that affects landlords, and it affects their families.”
Senator Hickenlooper’s office did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
With the shutdown closing on its eighth day —already the fourth longest in US history — the impact on Americans will only grow in its scope and scale. Senate Majority Whip John Barasso warned of the “dangerous game” being played by the Democrats in a floor speech on Wednesday.
“The minority leader is leading the democrat party into a box canyon,” Barasso said. “And it’s a dangerous game, and it’s not just dangerous for them, it’s dangerous for the American people. That’s where the danger lies.”
“American families are feeling the pain nationwide,” Barasso continued. “In Georgia, more than 100,000 federal employees are wondering where they will find the money to pay their bills and buy their groceries. In Arizona, 344,000 children enrolled in SNAP face uncertainty. The benefits are running out. Time is of the essence.”
The Majority Whip warned of lapsing benefits for half a million individuals in New York enrolled in the WIC program, a food security program providing for low-income mothers; he also warned of $500 million in weekly losses in Illinois during the shutdown and delays in $92 million in loans from the Small Business Administration in Michigan.
“These businesses are the backbones of our communities and our economy,” Barasso said. “They should be able to make payroll and keep their doors open…not as the Democrats continue to play what has been termed “A Dangerous Game.”
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