Maryland Democrats hear from federal workers at Bowie town hall

Two Democratic members of Congress from Prince George s County held a roundtable meeting Thursday in Bowie to talk about the authorities shutdown which is now well into its third week with no end in sight Maryland Reps Steny Hoyer and Glenn Ivey want the Republican-controlled House to get back into session and end the long regime shutdown Related stories Specific furloughed workers will return to manage physical condition insurance open enrollment as shutdown drags on Democratic Sen Merkley of Oregon speaks for more than hours to protest Trump amid shutdown Trump hosts Senate Republicans at renovated White House as the shutdown drags into fourth week Where to find free food deals specials for federal workers during the shutdown It s dumb and it s wrong and we ought to be making a deal mentioned Hoyer who has been a member of Congress since and has experienced authorities shutdowns during his years in the House of Representatives This dispute could be solved with one vote And that vote would be a bill that opens up the regime and continues what the current law is Hoyer pointed out that as a young member of Congress President Ronald Reagan s administration and Democrats in Congress experienced eight regime shutdowns The longest shutdown in lasted three days because both sides of the political spectrum saw the urgency of making a deal and keeping the cabinet running Shutting down the administration is a program that ought not to be pursued ever That s the bottom line Hoyer explained Hoyer and Ivey are sticking to the Democratic Party line that House Speaker Mike Johnson and the Republican leadership are to blame for the partial shutdown by not negotiating on the Affordable Care Act s subsidies which keep medical care premiums down to a manageable level for millions of Americans Hoyer revealed tens of thousands of Maryland residents will see their fitness care premiums substantially increase in the coming weeks if an agreement to restart the federal establishment does not include an extension of the tax credits What we re trying to do is make sure that million people don t lose their insurance which we believe is a humanitarian thing to do and in the best interest of all America he reported Rep Ivey blames Republicans and Speaker Johnson for having the House in recess and not voting while the executive remains shutdown They ve been absent without leave They need to get their butts back to Washington and get back to work Ivey informed WTOP I think the wake-up call is coming now that the notices have gone out to the society that their premiums are going to double and triple and they re starting to get on the phone now and the Republicans are starting to get an earful Effect on Maryland residents Representatives from the state of Maryland stated the Congressmen that the state has been especially hard hit since the Trump administration returned to Washington in January because Maryland has tens of thousands of federal administration workers living there According to the state of Maryland more than residents were employed by the federal ruling body earlier this year The Maryland Department of Labor estimates or people have been laid off nationwide with the preponderance coming from Maryland First there were cutbacks from the Department of Executive Efficiency instituted by billionaire Elon Musk and his crew Now there are furloughs and threats of firings from the Office of Management and Budget Federal workers speak One man who wished not to be identified narrated WTOP that he s been working in the federal administration for over years but he s never faced instability like this He reported he and his colleagues are struggling with the shutdown especially as the next scheduled federal payday is coming and this will be the first one where a complete paycheck is missed It s disheartening being a federal employee knowing that every scarce months you have to go through this pain whether the governing body is going to be open whether it s going to be funded he declared So it s kind of devastating very formidable He explained he pays more attention to his bills and how he can meet the necessities of our family providing food mortgage As the shutdown lingers this worker noted he and his colleagues want Republicans and Democrats to find a response where the leadership funding is restored and the wellness care subsidy issue is also resolved He commented the sooner the better I have or we have no idea We re looking for different tools to help me as a federal employee looking for companies that provide food services or any type of help to federal employees And we re just doing the best that we can the man reported While multiple federal workers have weathered shutdowns before another longtime employee says this one feels different I ve lived through a great number of furloughs in my military and ruling body civilian career and this one just feels different the worker notified WTOP anonymously The retired military veteran now working at the Department of Robustness and Human Services declared has been a year of upheaval We were ordered back to the office full time Then a month later we got the RIFs they noted Now we re furloughed again We re not getting paid and they re doing more RIFs It s just insane The worker still has their job but is dipping into savings while paychecks don t come in and they worry about younger colleagues who might not have an crisis fund Back when we were very junior enlisted it was tough especially in the D C region they recalled They revealed the agency is handing out letters to furloughed employees asking creditors to remain case and show compassion toward federal workers who have bills due But the biggest concern this time around is whether a reduction in force or RIF notice could come during the shutdown There s just the question of if this continues to go on will I be fired as opposed to just being furloughed and being brought back After all this the worker explained the big question for them is Is it time to move on I m looking at whether I really want to be part of this ruling body anymore I ve dedicated years of my life to it and I m just tired they explained Source