Rep. Laura Gillen "very disappointed" over lengthy shutdown

Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) said Wednesday evening she was "very disappointed it played out this way," referring to the long government shutdown.

But the freshman House member also said she’s not backing down on fighting for the health care needs of her constituents.

One quirk is that as part of the spending package to fund and reopen the federal government, $938,000 is tagged for a community project in her district to purchase a fire engine for the Bellerose Fire Department.

Asked if it was awkward to be voting against a bill that contained that money, Gillen said: "I’m the one who got that funding."