Senator Hassan Statement on Dangers of a Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released the following statement today after voting to close debate on a government funding measure in order to allow a vote to keep the federal government open:

“There were no good options in the Senate today. The choice today was between a federal government shutdown that would hurt Granite Staters and Americans, especially our most vulnerable neighbors, or a partisan government funding bill. I have concluded that allowing the federal government to shut down with this President in charge is too dangerous to risk.

“A federal government shutdown would allow President Trump and Elon Musk to deepen their unilateral attacks on our system of government and the critical services it delivers to our friends and neighbors. President Trump and Elon Musk, who have already taken delight in making our government more chaotic and corrupt, would revel in a federal government shutdown. They would decide which programs to keep running and which employees to furlough or fire altogether, and they would do all this with even fewer checks and balances in place than there are now, because a shutdown would weaken our federal court system. It is unclear when the federal government would fully reopen, but it is clear that countless innocent people would be hurt, and our safety and economy would be weakened.

“Because I believe that Elon Musk and President Trump would cause even more harm to Granite Staters and Americans during a federal government shutdown than they currently are, and because keeping the federal government functioning would provide support to the people who need it most, I voted today to close debate and allow for a vote to keep the federal government open.”

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