Costa Urges Congress to Work Together to Avoid a Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Jim Costa (CA-16) released the following statement in support of a Fiscal Year 2017 spending bill that does not include any ideological riders in order to avoid a government shutdown.

"Holding government spending hostage and threatening to shut down the government for political purposes is completely irresponsible," said Rep. Costa. "Providing funding to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border is a nonstarter for Democrats, including myself, and I am cautiously optimistic to hear from the Trump Administration that they are shifting their focus away from the wall and working to keep government funded."

Costa continued saying, "Similar to communities throughout the nation, in the San Joaquin Valley, thousands of federal employees are at risk of going unpaid if the government shuts down, and that creates a ripple effect in our local, state, and national economies. Additionally, a government shutdown would suspend critical services that Americans rely on, like those provided by the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs. I urge members of the House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans, to come together on a bipartisan basis to keep government funded and build consensus on a long-term budget."

Costa is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 1779, the No Budget, No Pay Act. This bipartisan legislation would hold Members of Congress more accountable for doing their job by withholding their paycheck if Congress does not pass a budget and shuts down the government.

Costa is co-chair of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition which is composed of 18 Democrats who strive to work across the aisle and find areas of compromise. Costa is also a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus which is composed of 40 Members of Congress, evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, who are committed to working together on a bipartisan basis to get past the gridlock and get things done on the issues that matter to the American people.