5th District Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty plans to donate her federal pay to local Connecticut charities for the duration of the government shutdown. She did the same thing during the 16-day shut down in 2013.
Esty is a cosponsor of the federal ‘No Budget, No Pay’ Act, which would prevent lawmakers from receiving pay for failing to pass a budget. According to an estimate of Standard & Poor’s, the 2013 shutdown cost the U.S. economy close to $24 billion and reduced fourth-quarter GDP growth from 3 percent to 2.4 percent.
Senator Richard Blumenthal says serious talks and compromise by the Republican leadership and the President could have avoided the federal shut down. He says governing month to month through short term extensions has the effect of a slow motion shutdown, short-changing and damaging the military, opioid addiction programs and disaster relief. Blumenthal says the President must lead, or get out of the way.
Governor Malloy says Connecticut has made preparations to mitigate the impacts of the federal government shutdown, as much as possible. But Malloy says unless Congress does their job, Connecticut residents who work for the federal government will not be paid, contractors will be laid off, and loans to Connecticut small businesses won’t be made.
