September 28, 2023
FROM SENATOR GILLIBRAND: WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a video press conference to discuss the cost of a government shutdown to New York. Gillibrand is calling on Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans to work with Democrats to fund the government and stop jeopardizing Americans’ livelihoods.
“A shutdown would mean that kids go hungry, troops don’t get paid, and the work of the critical federal agencies that make sure our food and water are safe goes undone,” said Senator Gillibrand. “It would have wide-ranging and long-lasting effects across our economy. We can’t afford to have it happen. I’m urging Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans to stop playing games with Americans’ livelihoods and work with Democrats to keep the government working.”
A government shutdown would be catastrophic for New York’s working families. Over 70,000 federal employees in the state – as well as at least 30,000 service members – would be furloughed or forced to work without pay indefinitely. More than 400,000 New Yorkers who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), including nearly 330,000 infants and children, would be at risk of losing critical food assistance and going hungry.
A shutdown would also hinder or prevent the Food and Drug Administration from conducting food safety inspections; the Environmental Protection Agency from conducting drinking water inspections; and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from conducting workplace safety inspections – putting the health and safety of all Americans at risk.
The IRS could partially shut down as a consequence of a government shutdown, which would lengthen wait times for individuals seeking assistance.
A shutdown may also delay passport processing, disrupting New York’s tourism industry because of passport and visa backlogs, and force the National Park Service to turn away visitors at national parks, monuments, and related historical sites. This would affect tourism revenues in New York from sites like the Statue of Liberty and the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo.
