National League of Cities Statement on Agreement to End Shutdown

WASHINGTON – January 25, 2019 – Following today’s address from President Trump about an agreement that would end the partial federal government shutdown, National League of Cities (NLC) President Karen Freeman-Wilson, mayor of Gary, Indiana, released the following statement:

“Today, President Trump and congressional leaders announced a short-term agreement to reopen the federal government, ending the longest government shutdown in American history. Local leaders are encouraged that our federal partners are ready to put forward a bipartisan bill to end the government shutdown, but damage has been done — to the economy, to the federal workforce, and to the lives of millions of people who rely on federal programs and services. Congress and the administration must work together to pass a long-term funding bill so that we won’t be on the cusp of the next government shutdown in three weeks when this short-term agreement expires.

“It is long past time for the federal government to get back to work for American people and focus on our nation’s biggest challenges, like our growing infrastructure crisis. For our economy and for our future, America’s cities, towns and villages call on federal leaders to come together in a bipartisan way to pass comprehensive legislation that rebuilds and reimagines America’s infrastructure.”

NLC will continue to collect local impact stories, monitor the effects of the shutdown and provide resources to city leaders in our online shutdown resource center.