October 5, 2025

Dear Georgian,

17 days ago, the House of Representatives passed a clean, continuing resolution to fund the government and avoid a harmful shutdown, in a bipartisan vote. We are now in day 5 of the shutdown, still watching Democrats in the Senate block the vote to fund the government.  

This shutdown, an unnecessary crisis manufactured by New York's Chuck Schumer and supported by most Senate Democrats, means that 2 million servicemembers are being forced to work without pay until the government is funded. 

Over 400,000 Department of Defense civilians that work to perform critical national security activities must continue to report to work but will not be paid until our government is funded again. 

Furthermore, an estimated 330,000 civilians are furloughed, including many across the state of Georgia. 

Every senator understood the consequences of voting against the continuing resolution. Keep in mind, some Independent and Democratic senators have joined with Republicans in support of the bipartisan continuing resolution that passed the House of Representatives over 2 weeks ago.

Unfortunately, Georgia's senators have chosen to maintain their partisan position as they continue to vote against funding the government.

When Republicans passed H.R. 1, The Working Families Tax Cut, we secured major improvements and much needed flexibility for America's farmers. 

We permanently maintained crop insurance, extended and funded "orphan programs," and made the largest reforms in SNAP's history while ensuring it comes as a mandatory entitlement program with no lapse in benefits for recipients.

What Democrats in the Senate have done is ensure that none of these gains matter until they stop their ridiculous demands, do their part for the American people, and vote to fund our government at current levels.

This includes Georgia's own senators, who have now repeatedly let our state down by siding with New York priorities over Georgia constituents and values.  

Senate Democrats are demanding $1.5 trillion in new deficit spending, and you can guess where the majority of that money will go. It's not Georgia. So why are Georgia's senators voting for New York and California, and other liberal states? They want you to pay to provide free health care to illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities and make COVID-era ENHANCED subsidies, that they agreed to eliminate at the end of 2022, permanent.  

During this lapse in government funding, my office’s constituent services will continue to function with the exception of tours and flag orders. Unfortunately, all tours of the U.S. Capitol, White House, and Library of Congress are currently closed.

Through the duration of the shutdown, our office will continue answering phones, processing casework, and handling correspondence. If you have a tour or flag order that has been impacted, we apologize for any inconvenience and encourage you to reach out to our office once the Senate has passed a funding plan and services are restored.

As always, my staff and I are here to help. If you need assistance with a federal agency or have comments or concerns to share with me, please do not hesitate to call my Warner Robins, Tifton, or Washington, D.C. offices. To receive frequent updates, I encourage you to visit my website, like my Facebook page, follow me on YouTube, and follow me on Twitter.

Sincerely,

Congressman Austin Scott