Press Releases
Rep. Sewell votes for tenth time to re-open the government
January 22, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) cast her tenth vote Wednesday to re-open the government and ensure federal workers are guaranteed the pay they are due.
“I have voted ten times to re-open our government since Congress convened on January 3rd,” Sewell said. “On Friday, many of our federal workers will miss their second paycheck. The President and Senator Mitch McConnell may not understand what missing a single paycheck means – let alone two – but for many in Alabama’s 7th District and around the country, their failure to act is absolutely devastating.”
“I have met with federal workers in my district who are depending on us to do our jobs and re-open the government as soon as possible,” Sewell said. “I am calling on Senate Republicans to put partisan politics aside and vote on the House bills we passed so that our federal workers get the pay they are due.”
Earlier this week, Sewell heard directly from some of the 800,000 federal workers impacted by the shutdown. She met with TSA employees at both the Montgomery Regional and Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airports who have been working without pay for nearly a month as a result of the Trump government shutdown. Sewell provided the TSA officers with breakfast and lunch to thank them for their hard work despite the difficult circumstances.
Late Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced the Senate will vote on House-passed legislation on Thursday, marking the first votes the Republican-controlled Senate will take to re-open the government.
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Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) is serving her fifth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional district. She sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and is the Vice Chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Sewell is a Chief Deputy Whip and serves on the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee of the Democratic Caucus. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, serves as Vice Chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus and Vice Chair of Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition.