Republican Senator Murkowski Calls For End to Shutdown: Workers Being ‘Held Hostage to a Political Dispute’
I continue to stress that there is no good reason for a shutdown. The reality is thousands of federal employees & contractors have no paycheck in sight, small businesses that rely on them are suffering & there’s no reason they should be held hostage to a political dispute. pic.twitter.com/VBMNUACU78
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) January 9, 2019
One night after President Donald Trump’s Oval Office address intended to shore up support among Congressional Republicans in the shutdown fight, a key Republican is calling for the government to reopen.
Speaking on Capitol Hill, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) made her appeal for the now 19-day long shutdown to end.
“I think it’s important that we do our business around here,” Murkowski said.
She added, on Twitter, “I continue to stress that there is no good reason for a shutdown. The reality is thousands of federal employees & contractors have no paycheck in sight, small businesses that rely on them are suffering & there’s no reason they should be held hostage to a political dispute.”
Murkowski is not the only Republican who is loathe to keep the shutdown going. According to the AP, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) are looking for an end to the standoff.
“People expect their government to work,” Cornyn said, per the AP. He added, “This obviously is not working.”
Murkowski was in attendance at today’s lunch with the President:
MURKOWSKI says at lunch she told President Trump that when the government is shut down “there are consequences, and people are starting to feel those consequences.”
She said he responded by urging GOP to stay unified.
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) January 9, 2019
Watch above, via Twitter.
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