September 29, 2023

Rep. Sykes: Congress Must Put People Over Politics To Avoid A Shutdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) issued a statement after the House Republican Continuing Resolution that contained extreme funding cuts to vital government services failed on the House floor this afternoon. As a result, our country is recklessly charging towards a manufactured government shutdown with devastating consequences for the people of Ohio’s 13th Congressional District:

“It’s clear with this latest bill that extreme politicians in Washington are still more focused on introducing irresponsible, reckless funding bills than working on a bipartisan solution to avoid a government shutdown,” said Rep. Sykes. “I will always put the people of Ohio’s 13th Congressional District first. I refuse to support devastating cuts to the critical services our neighbors rely on, including slashing funding for Social Security, eliminating life-saving healthcare services, reducing food assistance to children and families, cutting K-12 education and laying off local educators, and defunding our law enforcement to make the border less secure. People in my district are tired of the political games— they want real leadership. It’s why I’ve introduced my Feed Our Families Act and the Pay Our Military Act to provide stability and certainty in the case of an extremist-manufactured shutdown. I’m committed to working with anyone — Republicans or Democrats — to pass a realistic budget that invests in Northeast Ohioans and avoids a catastrophic government shutdown.”

Rep. Sykes has introduced two bills — the Pay Our Military Act and the Feed Our Families Act – which put people over politics to protect Americans’ livelihoods and provide stability and certainty during a chaotic government shutdown. The Pay Our Military Act would ensure our servicemembers, the people who put their lives on the line every day to keep our country safe, continue to receive their paychecks, while the Feed Our Families Act would ensure families who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as SNAP) to put food on their tables can still access their benefits during a shutdown.