Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) opposed Congressional Republicans’ vote to spend more than $5 billion on a senseless border wall, jeopardizing government funding and operations. This reckless move could force 420,000 federal employees, including 54,000 Customs and Border Patrol Agents, 53,000 TSA employees, 42,000 Coast Guard employees, and as many as 6,000 Forest Service Firefighters, to work without pay during the holidays. The Senate is expected to consider this funding package tomorrow.

“Tonight’s vote proves the spinelessness of Congressional Republicans, unwilling to say no to the President. President Trump is jeopardizing government funding over the construction of a wasteful monument to himself.

“Last fiscal year, congressional Republicans brought five short-term spending bills to a vote, which failed to provide certainty to our military, research institutions, and federal agencies—and we still had a government shutdown in January.

“Today, we find ourselves on the brink of disaster again. This President and his lemmings in Congress want to shut down the government and force 420,000 federal employees to go without pay during the holidays, all because Rush Limbaugh said so.

“Every day I come to work ready to work with my colleagues to forge consensus and make government work. Today, I am horribly disappointed in my GOP colleagues who knew this was wrong but caved to this ridiculous President,” said Rep. Peters.

Last year, Rep. Peters penned an op-ed in Pomerado News on how continued short-term funding bills of the federal government hurt San Diego, especially its military and defense sectors.