Dear John,

As you may have heard, the federal government shut down today. This was unnecessary and completely avoidable. On September 19th, I voted alongside my Republican colleagues in the House, as well as one Democrat, to keep the government open through what is known as a Continuing Resolution, or CR. My official statement on the situation is below:

“The House did its job to prevent a government shutdown and passed a clean CR on a bipartisan basis, which I was proud to support. It is unfortunate that so many senators were unwilling to advance our House package to keep the government open. Our CR had no poison pill add-ons or partisan policies attached as a sign of good faith, and its rejection in the Senate means an unnecessary and avoidable government shutdown that hurts the very people we were elected to serve. I strongly encourage my colleagues in the Senate to work with us to quickly and productively to resolve this lapse and restore stability.”

More from Me on the Shutdown:

This morning, I joined 610 WTVN to discuss the shutdown and how it can negatively impact Ohioans like you, your families, and your loved ones. To watch my interview, click here or on the image below.

The Bottom Line:

Shutting down the government can result in missed paychecks for federal workers and delays in critical services. Potential furloughs of Air Traffic Controllers and TSA agents may mean longer waits in the airport. A shutdown also means agencies like FEMA and the National Weather Service are hindered during the current hurricane season.

I want to keep these agencies open so they can work for you and so do my Republican colleagues in the House, which is why we passed a bill to keep the government open nearly two weeks ago ahead of the deadline.

While this can be a confusing and stressful time, my office remains open during the shutdown to help with any questions related to Medicare, the VA, Social Security, or any other government agency. For any questions related to these agencies and how they can affect you during a government shutdown, please call my Columbus office at 614-927-6902.

In the meantime, I will work with my colleagues in Congress to reopen the government so we can get back to doing the work we were sent to Washington to do.

Sincerely,