Congressman Fong in The Washington Reporter: "The Schumer Shutdown needs to end. Each month Washington stalls, California loses $9 billion"

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) published an op-ed in The Washington Reporter titled “The Schumer Shutdown needs to end. Each month Washington stalls, California loses $9 billion,” highlighting how our neighbors, friends, and families are now suffering because of Senate Democrats’ partisan demands. 

Read the full text below: 

We’re now almost a month into a completely avoidable government shutdown — and the cost to the American people is growing by the day. Every month Washington stalls, California’s military families, workers, vulnerable communities, and small businesses pay the price. We must reopen the government immediately and that requires Senate Democrats to be adults in the room and prioritize governing for all Americans, not just the progressive wing of their party.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Despite nearly a dozen opportunities to reopen the government, Senate Democrats continue to vote against a clean, short-term funding extension — choosing political theater over practical solutions and hurting the very people they claim to protect.

What’s especially frustrating is that Senate Democrats have previously supported clean, temporary funding bills — voting for them 13 times over the past several years, including a nearly identical bill in March. Yet now, they’re holding the government hostage over a demand for $1.5 trillion in new, partisan spending — a reckless ask for just four weeks of funding.

Let’s be clear: House Republicans acted proactively to keep the government open. On September 19th, I joined my colleagues in passing the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2026 — a straightforward, bipartisan, seven-week stopgap bill that simply keeps the government funded at current levels through November 21st. No gimmicks, no poison pills — just a responsible path forward while long-term funding negotiations continue. Yet the Senate Democrats refuse to act.

The human cost of this unnecessary gridlock is staggering.

Across the country, 1.9 million federal civilian employees are facing delayed paychecks. Another 1.3 million active-duty service members and over 100,000 federal law enforcement officers are about to go unpaid. While President Donald Trump is doing his best to pay our troops and keep critical services running, the consequences of the Democrats’ shutdown are growing.

Programs like WIC are set to run out of funding, threatening nutrition support for nearly seven million women and children. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has stopped processing new loans, stalling job creation, and slowing economic growth. Meanwhile, public health inspections like drug approvals are being delayed or brought to a standstill, putting safety and lives at risk.

Each week, this shutdown drains $15 billion from our national GDP, and the impact on California is especially severe as our state is home to the fourth-largest economy in the world.

This month alone, California has taken a $9 billion hit to our GDP. Over five million Californians who rely on SNAP, including two million children, are facing service disruptions. Consumer spending is down by $3.3 billion.

These aren’t just numbers on a page — they represent our neighbors, friends, and families who are now suffering because of Senate Democrats’ partisan demands. Parents are missing paychecks. Small business owners are losing access to capital. Entire communities across California are being pushed to the brink. This shutdown is more than just a political standoff — it’s a crisis caused by a choice Senator Schumer has made, felt deeply across the Golden State.

This is not responsible governance. As elected officials, our job to govern — not to manufacture a crisis for political leverage. But you don’t have to take my word for it, just listen to the past comments of Senator Schumer:

“If the government shuts down, it will be average Americans who suffer most,” he warned. “A government shutdown means seniors who rely on Social Security could be thrown into chaos.”

Those following him off this cliff, know keeping the government shutdown for unrelated partisan policies is the wrong call – they’ve said as much themselves, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) who, back in 2019, went on the national news to say he would only discuss policy after the government was reopened.

“We first should reopen government. Why punish people who are applying for food stamps…? Open government first!”

Senator Schumer and his liberal colleagues clearly know the harm they’re causing. The House has done its part. Now, it’s time for the Senate to pass the clean, short-term funding bill that has been on their desks for over three weeks and get our federal government functioning. We can’t allow partisan games to jeopardize pay for our troops, benefits for our veterans, services for our seniors, or care for our children.

Californians and all Americans are tired of Senator Schumer’s political games. Hardworking families deserve a government that works for them.

The time to reopen our government is now.