Advocates Urge Rep. Kiggans to Stand With Working Families, Avoid Government Shutdown
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – With the Republican-controlled House pushing us closer and closer to a government shutdown, residents are bracing for impact in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, which is home to many of Virginia’s 129,000 active duty service members as well as one of the nation’s highest concentrations of military families, veterans and federal contractors. The district is represented by Republican Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, who has supported budget cuts that would put wealthy special interests ahead of the people in her district, making a shutdown increasingly likely.
Local advocates and district residents are urging Rep. Kiggans to avoid a shutdown by pushing back against proposed spending cuts before it’s too late.
“When the government shutdown happened back in 2018, most services were paid but the Coast Guard was not - so we as a community came together to organize food and gift card drives. Families couldn’t afford formula and diapers. It is unconscionable that we are headed back down that road,” said Melissa Peck, a Virginia Beach mom and military spouse. “There are plenty of families who are living paycheck to paycheck. Rep. Kiggans needs to do the right thing here and fight for the servicemembers and military families she represents.”
“The threat of a government shutdown is extremely worrisome for hardworking families trying to make ends meet across Hampton Roads,” said Sean Monteiro, a Virginia Beach father and Air Force veteran. “I am particularly concerned with what this is going to mean for veterans’ healthcare. A government shutdown imposed on us by those who would see salami slice cuts across the board would just be devastating to our community. This is a huge disservice to all those who sacrifice for our common good.”
“With such a large military presence, a government shutdown would have devastating effects on our community,” said Heidi Dragneff, a Virginia Beach mom and Navy veteran. “It would create a domino effect and put service members in the impossible position of not being able to pay for everything from gas to get to work, groceries to feed their families, daycare and rent to Veteran healthcare, including mental health. Rep. Kiggans has voted for extreme appropriations bills that have pushed us closer and closer to a shutdown, begging the question: Is she willing to stand up for the people who she was elected to represent?”
“Rep. Kiggans ran on a message of lowering costs for working families,” said Kristina Hagen, director of Affordable Virginia. “However, her recent voting record does not reflect that promise. Rep. Kiggans voted for the Default on America Act, which favored wealthy corporations over veterans, military families, and seniors. Her support for extreme bills like this one is a big part of why we are now faced with a shutdown, which will have a seismic impact on the region. Congress needs to ensure that all families, not just some, are protected from the harm a shutdown will cause, not to mention the proposed spending cuts. That’s why we’re urging Rep. Kiggans to work with her colleagues to reject these senseless cuts and keep the government fully funded.”
According to recent polling, a majority of Americans oppose the spending cuts House Republicans are pushing, especially those aimed at Social Security, nutrition assistance, and education. And three in four Americans recognize that a shutdown would harm our economy.
Virginia families will face tremendous harm from the proposed spending cuts. In Virginia alone, the House Republican bills would:
Devastate public schools, affecting up to 334,000 students across the Commonwealth by eliminating up to 4,300 teachers, aides or other key staff;
Drive up childcare costs for working families by eliminating as many as 820 Head Start slots;
Gut Medicare services, causing Virginia’s 1,627,000 Medicare recipients – seniors and people with disabilities – to face longer wait times;
Increase housing costs for over 400 families who rely on Housing Choice Vouchers;
Double pre-pandemic Social Security wait times for supplemental income benefits and significantly reducing Social Security field office capacity;
Cut workforce access and training opportunities for 6,500 Virginians, including 2,000 youth, preventing career development and workforce participation.
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