County Council Demands Trump, Congress End Federal Shutdown

ROCKVILLE, MD — The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday called on President Donald Trump and top Congressional leaders to end the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, saying it has upended the lives of thousands of residents.

In a letter to Trump, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Council President Nancy Navarro said the shutdown — now in its 33rd day — is "having a dramatically negative fiscal impact on Maryland and Montgomery County."

"Maryland is home to 172,000 residents, who are currently impacted by the shutdown, and Montgomery County, with more than one million residents, makes up 18.2 percent of the regional federal workforce," Navarro wrote in the letter, on behalf of the council. "Every two weeks, federal working families across Maryland are losing $778 million in wages. Many of our residents are now in critical need of necessities like food, medication and money to pay their utility bills. Their savings accounts have been depleted and their patience is wearing thin."

Trump and Congress have been deadlocked over funding for a border wall since the partial government shutdown began on Dec. 22. Meanwhile, some 800,000 federal workers, caught in a political crossfire, brace for a second missed paycheck on Friday, Jan. 25.

To help alleviate some of the financial burden, businesses are giving away free food, offering discounted specials, and rolling out assistance programs to people impacted by the shutdown. With no end in sight, Montgomery County officials and community partners are also offering resources and assistance to residents working for the federal government.

"While our nonprofit partners are doing all that they can to assist our residents, during the federal government shutdown, they too are stretched to their limits. Local government staff and resources are being diverted to help federal government workers and their families who need food, health care, housing assistance and other critical resources," Navarro wrote in the letter.

Even when the shutdown ends, according to Navarro, "damage to our local economy is irreparable."

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