WASHINGTON—Today, the Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications, Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s remarks on the ongoing government shutdown negotiations:

“We must get back to doing the work of the people. There are important issues that need to be addressed—and there will be tough debates over the next two years and strong ideas on both sides of the aisle. However, we can't let every disagreement result in a shutdown of the government of the greatest country on Earth. The American people depend on the basic services the American government provides, and shutting down the government is simply reckless. Today, 800,000 federal employees are still going without pay, including the people who are keeping our country safe. We hope to have a real debate on the issues of the day, but in the meantime, we must re-open the government. This chaos does not make America great; it puts our nation in danger. Both parties and President Trump need to work together to break this impasse, find common ground, and get out of this mess.”

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