Gallego Shares Stories of Constituents Affected by the Shutdown

Washington, D.C.: Congressman Pete P. Gallego (TX-23) today shared the stories of constituents being affected by the shutdown.

The story included those of retired Veterans in San Antonio and Fort Stockton. Congressman Gallego also shared an email he received from an airmen from the district.

The email read the following:

“While I and many others appreciate the gratitude expressed in times like these, we have also become weary of the same. Whenever the actions of our national leaders have a negative impact on us as government employees, which seems to have become the norm over the last several years, we tend to hear the same rhetoric in the form their gratitude and appreciation for our contributions to Americas national security. These words have begun to ring hollow in our ears. We do not want to hear how grateful and appreciative our leaders are for our service anymore. Instead of expressions of gratitude through words, our leaders need to express their gratitude through deeds, those being the passing of a fiscally sound budget and the halt to the use of government employees as pawns in the game of economic chess.”

Congressman Gallego will donate his salary to charity while the government is shutdown.

On Saturday, he filed two bills that hold lawmakers accountable in the event of a government shutdown. The first – The Shutdown Member of Congress Pay Act of 2013 – would suspend pay for Members of Congress in the event of a government shutdown. The second – The Preserve our National Security Act – would protect national security and Veterans during a shutdown.