The Shutdown Deal is Another Violation of Public Trust and a Failure to Protect the Most Vulnerable

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement today regarding the recent congressional agreement to avert a government shutdown: 

“The American people have been clear and unequivocal. They care about being able to afford to see a doctor when they are sick, to be able to meet the needs of their families and to know that their elected leaders will fight for them. This administration and too many in Congress have made clear that they simply do not care. Voters didn’t vote for partisan games or kicking the can down the road with no promise that their health will be a priority. 

“This administration has taken a chain saw to investments in affordable health care, nutrition programs, and housing programs. It has shattered the livelihoods of workers who are public servants and decimated the ability of our government to serve us. Instead of investing in our future, it has spent our precious resources to violate civil and human rights, tear apart families, threaten our free speech rights to dissent, and made far too many people less safe. 

“We need all of our elected leaders to unite and fight for the people and not to capitulate to the whims of the White House; to serve the common good and not just wealthy donors or extremist factions. Real change—a fully funded, functioning government that protects and uplifts every person’s opportunity and rights—is possible only if our leaders prioritize common sense and the common good over ceaseless partisan politics.” 

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. We work toward an America as good as its ideals. 

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