Friday, May 5, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C. – Today, NFFE National President Randy Erwin condemned President Trump for calling for a government shutdown on Tuesday when Trump tweeted “our country needs a good shutdown in September.”
In response, Erwin said the following:
“There is no such thing as a good shutdown
“Before Tuesday, it was inconceivable that a sitting President would dare suggest that a government shutdown is a good thing or is in some way useful to the American people. This is a shocking indictment that proves President Trump’s lack of understanding about the job the American people have asked him to do.
“This is not a game. The federal government is our nation’s biggest employer, and a government shutdown means hundreds of thousands of Americans spread across the country will be sent home without pay. President Trump must understand what a loss of income means to middle class families. It is devastating. It is immature and wrong for President Trump to root for something that harms Americans and their families.
“It is clear that President Trump does not understand the seriousness of a government shutdown. Many federal workers live paycheck to paycheck. A shutdown that cuts off federal employees’ income, even for a short period of time, can be disastrous. President Trump taunting Congress to shutdown the government is inappropriate and cruel.
“There is no good reason why a President should ever endorse a shutdown of his own government. It clearly demonstrates that Trump is more focused on playing politics than doing what is best for the American people.
“I sincerely hope that President Trump will not push for a government shutdown this October, nor should he use the threat of a shutdown as an attempt to force the Senate to change its time-honored procedures which serve as a critical check against unbridled power in Washington.”