Gov. Jay Inslee today issued the following statement, one day before the federal government shutdown becomes the longest in U.S. history:
“Today, hundreds of thousands of federal workers – including nearly 13,000 Washingtonians – are not receiving their paychecks because President Trump continues to hold them and the families they serve hostage while he pushes for a useless border wall. These workers, many of them veterans, will once again try to sleep tonight with the insecurity of not knowing when their next paycheck is coming or how they will be able to pay their mortgages or rent.
“Meanwhile, the impacts of this shutdown are starting to feel real to more of our families and workers. Students applying for financial aid await the approval they need so they can register for classes. Emergency food supplies for our state’s food pantries and meal systems will be disrupted. The likelihood of ferry disruptions is growing as the prospect of missed U.S. Coast Guard inspections looms.
“The president’s destructive rhetoric is making negotiations harder, not easier. And his insistence on this shutdown shows he puts his own political interests above the interests of the nation. This record-long shutdown has to end.”
The governor also released a document detailing some of the most significant impacts to Washington state programs and services that may be disrupted or delayed by the shutdown. That list is available here.