WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a news conference call with a furloughed Ohio worker as President Trump’s shutdown continues to hurt working families throughout the country.

“President Trump is taking paychecks away from thousands of American workers and throwing families into crisis every day he refuses to reopen the government,” Brown said. “The President must end his shutdown and put Americans back to work.”  

During the call, Brown underscored the harm the shutdown is inflicting on federal workers, including federal contract workers who are paid hourly and will not receive back pay when the government reopens unless Congress steps in.

  • Brown is set to introduce legislation to secure back pay for government contract employees who have gone without pay during the government shutdown.
  • Brown is also joining Senate colleagues in a letter this week calling on the Administration to direct federal agencies to ensure government contractors receive the back pay they deserve.

Yesterday, Brown met with workers who are hurt by the ongoing government shutdown. In Cleveland, Brown met with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, who are currently working without pay due to the government shutdown. Brown also spoke with UNITE HERE Local 23 food service workers in Arlington, Virginia, who work in the Smithsonian museums in our nation’s capital and are currently furloughed as a result of the shutdown.

Brown was joined on the call by Paul Greenberg, a scientist at NASA Glenn and Vice President of LESA Local 28 to talk about the harmful effects of the shutdown on both federal workers and federal contractors.

“Because Washington is more interested in playing politics than solving problems, Ohioans like us are either out of work or working without pay. It’s time for our leaders to step up, end this shutdown, and get Ohioans back to work. And once they do, they should take the lead of Sen. Brown and make sure federal workers and federal contractors all are given the back pay, and the respect, they deserve,” said Greenberg.

Before the holidays, the Senate unanimously passed a clean funding measure, which Brown supported. The White House indicated it would support that short-term spending measure to fund the government before President Trump abruptly changed course and shut down the government – after saying he was proud to shut down the government for border security. Last week, the House passed a similar measure to fund the government and reopen the government with bipartisan support. The government could reopen immediately if Republican Senate Leader McConnell would allow the Senate to vote and the President would sign the bill.

Brown has been calling on President Trump and Senator McConnell to end this shut down immediately and believes the Senate shouldn’t be voting on anything else this week until the government is reopened.

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