The federal government officially ran out of money at midnight when lawmakers failed to pass a short-term spending bill. Several Nebraska and Iowa elected officials released statements after it was clear a shutdown was inevitable.
Nebraska U.S. Senator Deb Fischer released this statement:
“I’m disappointed the Senate was unable to work together to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years, take care of our military, and keep the government open. I voted for this measure and I am a cosponsor of a bill to extend the CHIP program. I strongly believe we need to get this done for children in Nebraska and across the nation.”
Congressman Don Bacon stated:
"Government shutdowns reflect dysfunction and hyper partisanship. We should be sitting together and developing a bipartisan solution to secure our border, reform antiquated immigration policies, and find a permanent solution for our DACA youth so they don’t have to worry about deportation. Shutting down the government is not the way to solve this problem.
This same dysfunction has caused grave damage to our military. Our military has been cut 18% since 2010 and has suffered through 36 Continuing Resolutions, putting on hold new programs and spending increases to fix broken ships and give more flying time to undertrained pilots. Half of the Navy’s aircraft can’t fly today, 53 of 58 combat brigades in the Army are unable to fight tonight, and our Air Force has the fewest and oldest aircraft in the history of the Service. Dysfunctional partisanship in Congress has caused this deterioration in the legislative process. Specifically, the Senate Democrats refuse to appropriate the money for defense that has already been authorized by Congress. They are holding our national security hostage for their partisan domestic priorities that are totally unrelated to defense.
When the dysfunction in Congress causes a government shutdown, it is shameful for Congress to be paid their salaries while our Federal employees and military personnel have their pay withheld. I support legislation that treats Congress the same as federal employees when the government shuts down. Congress should not get special exceptions.
This is a time for statesmanship and not partisanship."
Iowa U.S. Senator Joni Ernst released this statement:
“Over the years, I’ve made clear that I don’t like funding our federal government from one short-sighted, band-aid bill to another. We must establish plans to responsibly fund our government long-term.
“However, the extension voted on tonight would have reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years, providing approximately 80,000 Iowa children with access to important health care services, especially in rural and underserved areas. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats are playing political games and opposed our efforts to ensure this critical funding is in place for children in Iowa and across the country.
“The Senate Democrats who chose to play politics with children’s health care also set arbitrary deadlines regarding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). America is a nation of immigrants, and our diversity is our strength. It’s incredibly important that we find a fix for DACA recipients as they are so important to our communities and to our future. Many young, undocumented children were brought here through no fault of their own. Congress has been and must continue to work together to identify and pursue a measured approach that addresses DACA recipients’ unique situation, and also respects the importance of our immigration laws, keeps our borders secure, and discourages future illegal immigration. There is still time to achieve a solution, but holding the government hostage and stalling important discussions on DACA is nonsensical.
“Additionally, despite their rhetoric otherwise, Senate Democrats are turning their back on our men and women in uniform by putting our military’s resources and readiness in jeopardy. It is inexcusable.
“It’s my hope that Senate Democrats will put their reckless games aside and start working with us on a path forward to fund the government, ensure low-income children have access to health care, provide the resources our military needs, and find a solution for DACA recipients.”
This statement was released by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa:
“If the 2016 presidential election proved anything, it’s that Americans wanted a new way of doing things, and just want their government to work. That’s true in Iowa and the entire country. It’s disappointing that Democratic leaders chose to vote against legislation that would have kept the government up and running just to make a point about a policy unrelated to government funding. The legislation they opposed also would have extended the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years, which millions of kids rely on for health care. Shutting down the government forces men and women in uniform to work without pay. It also puts taxpayers on the hook to spend billions of dollars to pay federal workers to sit at home with nothing to show for it.
“Democrats demanded a DACA fix for the government to stay open but didn’t even introduce their legislation to debate. The Senate couldn’t have voted on their bill if we wanted to, because it didn’t exist. The demands also didn’t make sense because the DACA deadline isn’t until March. I introduced legislation in December that included bipartisan provisions like Sen. Durbin’s BRIDGE Act to protect DACA recipients. Since then, I’ve been working regularly with my colleagues on a bill that would achieve real border security, end chain migration and the diversity visa lottery program and provide DACA recipients with legal status. That goal was agreed to in a bicameral, bipartisan meeting at the White House. There’s a deal to be made on DACA and time to make it. Shutting down the government because we didn’t vote on a bill that doesn’t exist is no way to serve Americans or DACA recipients.
“A government with closed doors is bad news for an economy that is finally picking up speed. If the government isn’t re-opened soon, it could mean fewer jobs, lost wages and lower growth. There’s no reason government can’t be re-opened while Congress addresses unrelated issues. I hope Democrats will stop the partisanship, come to the table and end this shutdown.”