The Republican Women’s Caucus, led by Florida Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R), sent a letter to other female Democratic colleagues in the Senate urging immediate action to end the ongoing government shutdown.
The letter, signed by the caucus, calls upon all members of Congress to support the bipartisan, clean continuing resolution (CR) passed by the House on September 19 to restore government funding.
Lawmakers argue that, due to the shutdown, programs such as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) that aid in supporting nearly seven million low-income mothers and young children face catastrophic funding shortages. Without action, states will have to turn families away. The letter also emphasizes the strain on military families, many of whom are missing paychecks while relying on programs like WIC to feed their children.
"This isn’t just a shutdown - it’s a $1.5 trillion shakedown," Cammack said. "True legislating means putting people ahead of politics—and right now, this shutdown is hurting those most vulnerable: children, single mothers, and working families."
Other politicians like Texas Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (R) and Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (R) also released statements in conjunction with the letter, urging the cooperation of their fellow Democratic representatives.
"Our government has been held hostage for eight days. If the shutdown continues, nutrition support for American families will run out, and our Border Patrol Agents and servicemembers will go without their paychecks. This needs to end now," De La Cruz expressed.
"The Democrat blockade of a clean funding bill has pushed WIC to the brink, threatening support for millions of moms and babies," Harshburger stated.
"In order to restore stability, our colleagues need to pass the bipartisan CR that the House already approved. Democrats need to stop using mothers and infants as leverage and vote to end the shutdown now," she added.
