McClellan Joins Democratic Freshman Class to Demand Speaker McCarthy Avoid a Government Shutdown
Washington, D.C. – In case you missed it: Last night, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) joined Representatives Robert Garcia (CA-42), President of the Freshmen Class; Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Freshman Representative to Leadership; and Rob Menendez (NJ-08) and Hillary Scholten (MI-03), Freshman Steering and Policy Membersin a press conference to demand Speaker McCarthy work toward a bipartisan solution to keep the government open ahead of the looming September 30th funding deadline.
During the press conference, McClellan underscored the impact a government shutdown would have on hardworking families in Virginia and across the United States, particularly for federal workers and active-duty servicemembers who would be forced to go without a paycheck. Virginia has over 170,000 federal employees, 130,000 active-duty servicemembers, and is the second-largest recipient of federal funding in the nation.
Led by Garcia, McClellan joined him and the entire Freshman Class of House Democrats in a letter to Speaker McCarthy to stress their commitment to serving the American people and emphasize the need to prioritize functional governance over partisan politics. All Freshman members asserted that the threat of a government shutdown stands in direct contradiction to their duty as Representatives and would compromise the functioning of essential services that millions of Americans heavily rely on.