END THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN NOW

THREE REASONS TO END THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATELY

1. HUMAN SUFFERING -

Eight hundred thousand government employees are being asked to work without getting paid. Families are taking part-time jobs and second jobs. They still need to spend money on transportation and work expenses. 78% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. They cannot go one month without pay. People inside the border are suffering, but people outside the border are suffering even more. Desperate refugees who requested asylum in our country are turned away with no living arrangements. They came with the clothes on their backs. They have no food and must care for their children in tents. Some families are still traumatized from being separated at the border with no hope of being reunited. They are trying to escape a world of drugs, gangs, rape and murder. They try to escape injustice in their own country only to experience greater injustice here. This human suffering is unconscionable.

2. NATIONAL SECURITY -

The government shutdown has damaged our intelligence community, Homeland Security and air travel. The very issue of national security that is being debated is made much worse by the partial government shutdown. Because the FBI and Coast Guard are furloughed, our national border safety is threatened. We risk having more human trafficking, more drug-related crime and more risk of a national health crisis. The absence of TSA workers and air traffic controllers makes air travel more dangerous for every day the shutdown drags on. The absence of FDA inspectors endangers our food and the safety of our medications. Our enemies, both foreign and domestic, see us now at our most vulnerable.

3. CHALLENGING DEMOCRACY ITSELF -

We all learned by watching "Schoolhouse Rock" how a bill becomes law. The Congress is supposed to originate a bill and pass it on to the President for approval. This shutdown is a complete reversal of that process. The President demands that the Congress pass his desired bill. This Congress is not working. This original issue came about because the Congress never provided a federal budget in the first place. Democracy depends on a working legislative body to submit, discuss and establish the laws of our country. The failure of this Congress to address immigration policy has caused our country to resort to civil disobedience and rioting. We have a constitution designed to deal with exactly these situations. We have a constitutional republic if only we can keep it. We must ask ourselves again, "How long can this nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated long endure?"

Demand that your Senators and Representatives end this ridiculous shutdown immediately.

Sen. Mitt Romney 202-224-5251 (DC) // Twitter: @senatorromney // Facebook: @mittromney Sen. Mike Lee 801-524-5933 (SLC) // 435-628-5514 (St. George) // Facebook: @senatormikelee Rep. Rob Bishop (Congressional District 1): 202-225-0453 (DC) // 801-625-0107 (Ogden) Rep. Chris Stewart (District 2): 202-225-9730 (DC) // 801-364-5550 (SLC) // 435-627-1500 (St. George) Rep. John Curtis (Congressional District 3): (202) 225-7751 (DC) // (801) 851-2500 (Provo) Rep. Ben McAdams (Congressional District 4): (202) 225-3011 (DC)