by Congressman Ed Case
I sincerely hope that, by the time you read this, the deeply disappointing and completely unnecessary and solvable federal government shutdown is over.
Tens of millions of Americans have suffered direct impacts, and all of us have been affected, including Filipino Americans.
The National Federal of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) rightly stated that “across the nation, Filipino Americans serve in government, the military and essential public service roles.
A shutdown disrupts the stability of these workers and their families, creates uncertainty for small businesses, and impacts seniors and children who depend on vital programs.”
Our active duty servicemembers’ pay has been uncertain, a million-plus federal workers including 25,000 in Hawai‘i have worked or been furloughed without pay, and supplemental nutrition assistance for some 165,000 and affordable health care insurance for tens of thousands throughout Hawai‘i has been at risk.
Our overall economy has suffered, with uncertainty in key activities like tourism, construction, health care, small business and agriculture.
The last federal government shutdown lasted 35 days and cost the U.S economy an estimated $11 billion.
The underlying issue remains the administration’s and my Congressional majority colleagues’ failure to prevent a health care crisis facing some forty million Americans if federal assistance for unaffordable health insurance expires.
As I write, the U.S. Senate has voted fourteen times to reject their proposed solution that abandons them.
The solution was always a bipartisan compromise that continues both overall government funding and assures these tens of millions of our national ‘ohana of basic affordable health care. I have devoted my own efforts in Congress to this result.
Why is this so hard?
First is the growing politics of 100%, where anything less than a total win is viewed as a loss. That is not how our democracy can or should work, especially in a closely divided Congress.
Massive misinformation intended to inflame and confuse the debate and prevent a bipartisan compromise is also to blame. Take the claim that federal health insurance assistance goes to illegal immigrants.
That is completely false; they are not eligible for these benefits today and they would not be under any extension or modification.
If this funding/healthcare crisis is not over when you read this the pain will have spread far broader and deeper and a solution will be far more acute.
If it is over, that won’t be the end of it. For if we don’t find a less divided, more solution-oriented way of governing, we will simply lurch from crisis to crisis, each harming our country further.
That is not just about D.C. changing on its own; that is all of our responsibility to demand that it happen.
My office remains open to assist you however we can. Please go to my website at case.house.gov for information on the shutdown and resources as well as my other efforts in Congress or email us at ed.case@mail.house.gov or call my Honolulu office at (808) 650-6688.
My staff and I wish you and yours only the best. Aloha.
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