Long Islanders pay the price for government shutdown
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), center, in the House chamber in 2023. Credit: Newsday / James Carbone
As Congress remains deadlocked about funding the federal government, Newsday Opinion asked Long Island’s four members of the House of Representatives to share their views on how to end the stalemate. Broadly, Republicans want Democrats to agree to a short-term funding bill without any other measures attached to end the impasse. Democrats want assurances that subsidies that reduce health insurance costs for those covered under the Affordable Care Act will remain in place. Our four House members have made their case here. Now tell us your thoughts. letters@newsday.com
Senate Democrats have shut down the government, a decision that is directly harming Long Islanders and Americans across the country.
It did not have to happen this way. The House did its job with time to spare by passing a clean, short-term funding extension to keep the government open and operational at current funding levels. The Senate has yet to advance a funding bill of any kind. Because the Senate requires 60 votes to move this legislation, Democrats must work with Republicans and vote to reopen the government. Instead, Democrats in the Senate are using the shutdown as leverage for a partisan agenda.
While there are important policy debates to be had before the end of the year, those debates require time and thoughtful discussion and should never come at the expense of Long Island's working families. The first order of business must be reopening the government so Congress can get back to work and pass the annual appropriations bills.
I have consistently voted to keep the government open and funded, regardless of which party is in the White House. The stakes are too high. On Long Island, the impact is immediate and painful. Tens of thousands of federal employees, including law enforcement officers, Transportation Security Administration agents and air traffic controllers, are missing paychecks they depend on. Every dollar matters to these families, and they should not be forced to bear the cost of Washington's dysfunction.
The National Flood Insurance Program, a lifeline for coastal communities like ours, has also lapsed. We are in the middle of hurricane season with the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy right around the corner. Without the ability to obtain or renew flood insurance policies, some Long Islanders may be left vulnerable just when they need certainty most.
The damage extends beyond our local economy. A lapse in funding undermines America's national security at a time of growing threats from our adversaries abroad. Key Homeland Security programs are now at risk, including cyber defense grants for state and local governments, tools that allow the federal government to take down malicious drones in U.S. airspace, and information-sharing authorities that protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks. As chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, these are not abstract policy points. They are core security functions that protect American lives every day.
Vital services are closing their doors through the shutdown, including the Internal Revenue Service's taxpayer advocate office and virtual assistance programs for veterans seeking help from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Small business loan distribution has also been frozen. Each of these closures represents a real person waiting longer for help they rely on.
The way forward is simple. The Senate must act. If not by passing the House's clean funding bill, then by sending over their own version for the House to consider. What cannot continue is political paralysis while Long Islanders are caught in the middle.
We need to come together as Americans, not as partisans. We can have serious debates about spending priorities, national security and the direction of our country, but only after the government is reopened and families can breathe again.
For now, the focus must be on restoring stability and responsibility in Washington. It is what Long Islanders expect and what the American people deserve.
This guest essay reflects the views of Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), who represents the 2nd Congressional District.
