Susie Lee

Mrs. LEE of Nevada

Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Chairman, I have no other speakers, and I am prepared to close at this time, if my colleague is as well. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. LEE of Nevada

Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the people of Nevada's Third District, I rise again to say it is time to end this shutdown. My office is currently working with a couple, both of them Federal workers, one of them a veteran, who are furloughed and now being evicted because of this unnecessary shutdown. Nevada's SNAP and housing authority are preparing to draw on their reserves to make up for the lack of Federal funding. Over 400,000 Nevadans will face devastating consequences if these programs run out of money. Our Governor just asked our higher education board to step in and protect Nevada's college students from penalties, and the speaker of our legislature just introduced a bill to protect Federal workers from debt collectors and landlords. Get the picture? We are now stressing our State and local governments because our President and our Senate cannot step up and do their job. This shutdown has gone on far too long. My colleagues and I just voted for the 11th time to reopen the government. I ask the Senate and the President to do their duty and open it up now.

Mrs. LEE of Nevada

Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the people of Nevada's Third District, I rise today to say it is time to end the shutdown. This weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with Federal workers in my district who are dealing with the very real consequences of this unnecessary shutdown. One employee is now driving for Uber. Another one has been forced to sign up for food stamps at the age of 51. A high-tech employer in Nevada who employs Federal contractors is dealing with his third Federal Government shutdown in 12 months. His highly skilled employees are sick and tired of the uncertainty and missed paychecks. If this shutdown persists, he will lose employees, which will not only hurt his company, but our overall economy as well. Madam Speaker, this is no way to run a country. The government should never be shut down over a single policy, any policy.

Mrs. LEE of Nevada

Mrs. LEE of Nevada. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and the underlying bill. I am proud to help these communities recover and families rebuild their lives after the devastating effects of extreme weather. But this bill is also a reminder of the cost of ignoring climate change. As the planet continues to warm because of manmade causes, more and more communities are at risk of extreme weather. In my home State of Nevada, Lake Mead is 50 percent as large as it was in the year 2000. As the water level continues to fall, water prices will continue to rise for families across southern Nevada. According to the GAO, climate change has already cost taxpayers over $350 billion over the past decade. We must take concrete steps to curb climate change. The costs--both human and financial--are already too high. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying bill.