Government Workers Should Not be a “Political Football”

Government Workers Should Not be a "Political Football"

President's Focus Cannot be "Winning"

(Washington, D.C.) – Today an unnamed senior official of the Obama Administration was quoted regarding the ongoing government shutdown, saying "We are winning…It doesn't really matter to us" – how long the shutdown lasts – "because what matters is the end result." This comes on the heels of the President's statement yesterday that "There is one way out" of a shutdown – for the House of Representatives to pass a single bill to fully fund all government operations. Senate Majority Leader Reid continues to reject the bills being passed by the House of Representatives that would fully fund and reopen agencies through a bipartisan agreement. While previous shutdowns have generally been solved by negotiation, the Senate leadership and the President continue to maintain that they will not do so. Adding to the concern, Gallup reports today that confidence in the economy has plummeted in the last few days.

Daniel Garza, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative released the following statement:

"We can't afford for our government leaders to be more concerned about politics than the business of the people. It is time for negotiation – not ultimatums.

Speaker Boehner was right to underscore that even though America will have record revenues, we will still suffer a $700 billion deficit. Our leadership cannot continue to ignore the unsustainable fiscal path we are on, or much less refuse to negotiate with each other in order to score cheap political points.  America's elected leadership must prioritize spending, focus on growing the private sector and address the source of the stalemate – runaway government spending and overregulation."

For interviews with a LIBRE representative, please contact:  Judy Pino, 202-578-6424 or Brian Faughnan, 571-257-3309, 571-257-3309.