Cities to Federal Leaders: End the Shutdown Now

WASHINGTON – January 2, 2019 – As the federal government shutdown enters its 12^th day, the National League of Cities (NLC) continues to urge our nation’s federal leaders to do their jobs and arrive at a bipartisan agreement that would re-open all government agencies. Following today’s White House meeting between President Trump and Democratic leaders, NLC President Karen Freeman-Wilson, mayor of Gary, Indiana, released this statement:

“Enough is enough — it’s time for our federal partners to do their jobs and reopen the federal government. Each day of a federal shutdown increases the pain felt in cities, as funding dries up for programs that help develop local economies and support our nation’s most vulnerable residents. Cities don’t have the luxury of waiting — we urge the federal government to act now and honor its responsibility to serve the American people.”

The partial federal government shutdown has a direct impact on America’s 19,000 cities, towns and villages, as a number of the agencies that provide significant funding to our nation’s most vulnerable communities remain closed. Read NLC’s December 19 statement prior to the shutdown here, or learn more about what the shutdown means for city leaders here.