Senator Dick DurbinAkun terverifikasi

President Trump’s senseless government shutdown continues. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees remain without pay - during the holidays - because of his reckless demand for a medieval border wall. This will end when the President and Republicans want it to.

America owes Defense Secretary Jim Mattis a thank you for a lifetime of service. The President’s decision to oust him January 1 only serves to remind us that Mattis-brand of integrity is not welcome in this Administration.

More than 400,000 federal employees will have to report to work without pay while President Trump continues his senseless government shutdown. Trying to gouge $5 billion for his medieval wall is taking priority over the paychecks of hardworking Americans.

At midnight, President Trump decided to shut down the government over his demand for a medieval border wall. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees - more than 8,000 in Illinois - will go without a paycheck over the holidays. This is senseless and cruel.

If President Trump chooses to shut the government down – hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be furloughed and without pay during the holidays. People who protect our border would be forced to work without pay.

Instead President Trump is threatening to shut down the government if he doesn’t get nearly $6 billion for a wasteful & ineffective border wall. We need modern technology to stop drug cartels from importing the poison that is killing our kids, not a medieval solution like a wall.

And the Administration didn’t ask for any funding for additional Customs Officers, even though we clearly need more personnel to detect drugs at ports of entry and in international mail.

According to DHS, these drive-through inspection systems examine 98% of rail cars but only 18% of cargo, passenger vehicles, and sea containers combined. Yet the President’s Budget for FY19 includes just $44 million for these systems.

CBP Commissioner McAleenan told me directly in October 2017 that his top priority to secure the border was more drive-through inspection systems, known as Z-portals. He didn’t mention a border wall.

For example, the DEA has found that the cartels transport the bulk of their illicit goods over the Southwest border through legal ports of entry using passenger vehicles or tractor trailers.

Democrats have made it clear to the President that there are much more effective ways to secure our border than a wall – like more screening technology and personnel to stop drugs from flowing through our borders. Democrats support smart border security that works.