National Governors Association calls for end to shutdown

The leaders of the National Governors Association on Monday wrote to President Trump and congressional leaders to plead for an end to a partial government shutdown that has now lasted 18 days and counting, saying that it takes a toll on services at the state level.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), the chairman and vice chairman of the association, respectively, advised federal leaders to reopen the government while they hash out more divisive issues, warning that the standoff is hurting workers.

{mosads}”On behalf of the nation’s governors, we urge you to find a compromise and immediately end the partial government shutdown. A federal government shutdown is a failure in governance and a weight on our economy and the American people.”  Bullock and Hogan wrote to Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

The governors wrote that the partial shutdown, which affects roughly 25 percent of government agencies, has had a negative impact on their states as hundreds of thousands of workers have been furloughed. 

The governors cited government employees going without pay, deteriorating conditions at national parks, a lapse in loans for rural development and reduced Coast Guard capabilities as adverse effects of the standoff.

The National Governors Association represents the 55 governors of U.S. states and territories.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors also issued a statement on Monday calling for federal lawmakers to end the shutdown and “prioritize instead the economic security of all Americans, the majority of whom live in cities.”

Both groups asserted that federal lawmakers should be able to work in a bipartisan way, just as state and local leaders do.

The messages from state and local leaders mirror Democrats’ effort in recent days to press Republicans to vote to reopen federal agencies while lawmakers continue negotiations with the White House over funding for Trump’s proposed wall along the southern border.

Trump has demanded more than $5 billion for the barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, triggering a partial shutdown after Democrats refused to offer more than $1.3 billion for other border security measures.

Trump will deliver a prime-time address Tuesday to discuss the shutdown and the border, followed by a joint response from Schumer and Pelosi.