Dear Senator:
On behalf of the AFL-CIO, I am writing to express our support for Amendment (No. 6) to the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019 (H.R. 268) offered by Senator Schumer and scheduled for floor consideration later this week. Conversely, we write in opposition to Amendment (No. 5) to the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019 (H.R. 268) offered by Senator Shelby also scheduled for floor consideration later this week.
The federal government is now going into the thirty-fourth day of a mindless shutdown.
More than 380,000 federal employees and countless federal government contractors have been locked out of their jobs and another 420,000 have been required to report to work—all denied a paycheck due to this shutdown. Millions continue to lose the vital government services that we deserve and pay for and workers are at their wits’ end with the lack of leadership on display in our country.
The Schumer proposal would reopen closed federal agencies through February 8th, allowing federal employees and contractors to go back to work immediately. His amendment focuses on getting our federal workers back to work and paid instead of using the appropriations process as a vehicle to promote controversial and divisive policy positions.
Senator Shelby’s proposal, by contrast, uses the appropriations process as a mechanism to circumvent the democratic process and force fundamental policy changes that Congress should consider through regular order. Congress should evaluate the proposed radical changes to our current immigration system only after the government has reopened.
Indeed, the provisions of the Shelby amendment fall far short of the President’s verbal description of his proposal. The amendment would fail to protect hundreds of thousands of workers who currently have the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by imposing restrictive and discriminatory new criteria. It would also impose permanent, inhumane changes to our nation’s asylum laws, and prohibit judicial review of significant future decisions made by the Department of Homeland Security.
America’s working families are looking to our Congressional leaders to bring an end to this travesty. As such, we urge you to vote for Senator Schumer’s proposal, Amendment (No.6) to H.R. 268 and vote against Senator Shelby’s proposal, Amendment (No.5) to H.R. 268.
Sincerely,
William Samuel, Director
Government Affairs Department