Auditor General DePasquale: Federal Workers & Families in PA Suffering Needlessly from Shutdown that Threatens Economy
Auditor General DePasquale: Federal Workers & Families in PA Suffering Needlessly from Shutdown that Threatens Economy
PITTSBURGH (Jan. 3, 2019) – As the federal government shutdown dragged into its 13th day, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale blasted the Trump Administration for needlessly inflicting hardship on federal employees across Pennsylvania and jeopardizing the nation’s economy.
“This pointless shutdown is hurting tens of thousands of workers and their family members,” DePasquale said. “While many people had the luxury of ignoring this problem during the holiday season, a harsh reality is now hitting home for those who will miss a paycheck this week.
“I’m particularly concerned for those workers who have no financial reserves. This is more than an inconvenience for them; it’s quickly becoming a full-blown crisis that affects their ability to put food on their table and keep a roof over their heads.”
DePasquale again called on Washington elites to stop playing games with the lives of hardworking public servants, warning that the ongoing shutdown may cause ripples across the economy.
“Consumer confidence and job creation will suffer, which could drain billions of dollars from the nation’s gross domestic product,” DePasquale added. “Right now, employers are trying to decide whether they will hire this year and they’re not getting important federal data that helps them make those critical decisions.”
DePasquale said that while it may take time for all impacts to be felt, many Americans are already concerned about the direction in which the economy is headed – making a bad situation even worse.
“The Dow Jones and the S&P 500 indexes reported their worst December since 1931 as well as their worst annual performance since the financial crisis of a decade ago. This administration is repeating the exact same mistakes that led to the Bush recession. It took years to pull the nation out of that hole, but Trump seems intent on digging a new hole and pushing us all into it.
“The U.S. House has offered a proposal to get the government back in business. I urge the House and Senate to quickly act on this plan, and then get to work on passing comprehensive immigration reform.
“Like so many other terrible decisions coming out of the White House, holding federal employees hostage in order to fund a ridiculous and divisive vanity project simply defies logic,” DePasquale said. “It’s time for the president to stop Tweeting long enough to do some actual work.”
To learn more about the Department of the Auditor General, please visit www.paauditor.gov.
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