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Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), a member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee and Subcommittees of Homeland Security and Defense, released the following statement, addressing federal employees:

“I will always do what’s best for the people and families in my district,” said Congressman Cuellar. “That is why last week, I voted yes to keep the government open. The last federal government shutdown cost our economy $1.5 billion and furloughed 850,000 government employees each day.

"Voting in favor of a government shutdown would be irresponsible. It would negatively affect families across my district by cutting crucial funding for veterans, military service members, educators, and federal workers. In my district alone, a shutdown would impact approximately 44,000 federal employees. Constituents in the counties that I represent would cumulatively lose over $12 million dollars of wages per day. Hard-working citizens who depend on paychecks would be faced with uncertainty regarding their next paycheck. Thousands of active military personnel would continue to do their jobs while not getting paid a dime.” See CNN poll on shutdown: http://cnn.it/2DpMiDk

"Congressman Cuellar continued, “That is why I stand with the people in my district when I say that I’ve got your back and I will keep doing what is right for families across Texas. When I voted in Congress in support of government funding, I voted with my constituents’ well-being in mind. I will continue to vote in favor of keeping the government open and work with members in a bipartisan way to address the DACA program, as well as other priorities including CHIP reauthorization, emergency disaster relief, and funding for community health centers and the military.”