House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) released the following statement after President Trump’s speech on Day 29 of the federal government shutdown:
“Democrats have been clear: we are prepared to negotiate on border security and immigration policy, but only after President Trump and Republicans reopen the government and ensure federal employees are paid. There is simply no reason that the federal government should be closed and American families harmed while the President and Congress are engaged in a complex policy discussion.
“Protecting Dreamers and TPS recipients is the right thing to do. The President is wrong to hold them hostage over money for a wasteful wall that could be better spent on more effective border security measures. The President’s trade offer - temporary protections for some immigrants in exchange for a border wall boondoggle - is not acceptable.
“On Day 29 of the Trump Shutdown, the solution is simple: reopen the government, pay our federal employees, and then negotiate border security and immigration policy proposals that can command bipartisan support."
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
