At midnight on December 21, 2018, funding for the federal government expired. We are currently operating under what is called “a lapse in appropriations,” that is, a partial government shutdown, because we still need to fund for Fiscal Year 2019 the federal Departments of Homeland Security, Agriculture, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, State, Interior, Commerce, and Justice.
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The Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Labor, Health and Human Services, Educa...tion, Energy, as well as the Legislative Branch and United States Postal Service have already been funded and will continue to operate without disruption.
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I voted to keep the government open, which included voting to strengthen border security and provide relief to communities struggling to rebuild after devastation caused by natural disasters. It is government’s job to work together to fund the government and I am disappointed my colleagues in the Senate have not yet voted.
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Because the government has not been fully funded, this morning, I submitted a letter requesting that my pay be withheld for the duration of the shutdown. My offices will remain accessible for constituents who need services during the shutdown.
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Please know that during this time, government programs involving the safety of human life or the protection of property continue to fully operate.