Dear Friend,

My message today is simple: our country can’t afford another government shutdown – especially not right now.

Unfortunately, we’re less than two weeks away from a potential lapse in government funding. This means that in 13 days, our government may be forced to shut down once more, plunging the country further into economic distress as we continue to face the greatest public health crisis in generations. 

In January of last year, the American people endured a 35-day shutdown – the longest in our nation’s history. During these 35 days, hundreds of thousands of families throughout the nation struggled to meet their financial obligations. Many were faced with deciding whether to pay the bills or put food on the table.

With food insecurity, housing instability, and job loss all on the rise, now is the time for the federal government to be doing more to help everyday people – not turning the lights off.

That’s why I recently took to the Senate floor to urge my colleagues to put aside any unrelated policy differences and fulfill one of our most basic obligations as lawmakers: funding the government. I hope you’ll take a moment to watch that speech by clicking here or below.

We simply cannot shut down the government just as we’re expecting a surge in COVID-19 cases post-Labor Day, as flu season begins, as the Postal Service struggles for relief, and as the entire West Coast continues to burn. Allowing government funding to lapse right now wouldn’t just be a self-inflicted injury – it would be kicking ourselves while we’re down.

You can trust that I’m going to be fighting these next two weeks to make sure our government holds up its end of the bargain with taxpayers and public servants. I’m also going to keep fighting for COVID-19 relief for American families and businesses, and pushing my Stop STUPIDITY Act – legislation I introduced last year to put an end to future government shutdowns.

If you want to share your thoughts about an issue that’s important to you, you can send me an email any time using the form on my Senate website. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,