Dear Mr. President Please End Your Shutdown
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This is an open letter to President Donald Trump asking him to end his 2018-2019 government shutdown. His shutdown is causing a humanitarian crisis where around 800,000 people are not being paid for their work. These people cannot feed their families or pay bills during this shutdown.
A copy of the speech with factual citations is below.
Dear Mr. President,
On December 11, 2018 in the Oval Office you declared that you would take responsibility for a government shutdown over the border wall.[i] As a citizen, I ask that you end your shutdown in order to support the military, protect the public, and provide for the general welfare of our country. Undoubtedly, you believed that the long term benefits of a wall was worth the short term pain of a shutdown. However, the consequences of your shutdown are too dire for it to continue.
Under your shutdown those responsible for protecting our country are not being paid. This includes people serving in the Coast Guard, valiant members of our military that guard against drug smuggling and terrorism.[ii] No compensation can equal their sacrifice but they certainly deserve what little pay we owe them. It also includes the food inspectors for the FDA and USDA. Your shutdown caused the suspension of regular monitoring of our food supply by the FDA for dangerous diseases, including E. coli and salmonella[iii]. The FDA commissioner is trying to bring back unpaid inspectors but only for high-risk facilities.[iv] This puts all citizens, including children, at risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from foodborne illnesses.[v]
Under your shutdown a variety of services necessary for the general welfare of America have been stopped or greatly reduced. Small business cannot get loans.[vi] Airport terminals are at risk of closing.[vii] Pollution inspections by the EPA are suspended.[viii]
Mr. President on January 08, 2019 in your address to the American people you called for an end to the humanitarian crisis at the border.[ix] I ask you now to end the humanitarian crisis your government shutdown has created for the rest of the country. Around 800,000 people are not being paid for their work because of your shutdown.[x] These are people who cannot feed their families, pay their mortgages, or keep their utility bills current. Mr. President, please end your shutdown.
[i] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/11/trumps-extraordinary-oval-office-squabble-with-chuck-schumer-nancy-pelosi-annotated/?utm_term=.b9e6638480ac
[ii] https://www.stripes.com/news/things-are-slipping-as-coast-guard-families-brace-for-missed-paychecks-1.564051
[iii] https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/government-shutdown-stops-fda-food-safety-inspections-n956716
[iv] Id.
[v] https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/10/shutdown-slows-fda-inspections-watchdogs-warn-of-outbreak-risk.html
[vi] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/this-is-ridiculous-small-business-owners-cant-get-loans-as-shutdown-enters-day-20/2019/01/09/c2de50fa-1379-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html?utm_term=.d1e4060391f1
[vii] https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/10/politics/miami-airport-terminal-shutdown/index.html
[viii] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/11/america-government-shutdown-trump-federal-workers
[ix] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trumps-address-nation-crisis-border/
[x] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/11/america-government-shutdown-trump-federal-workers