Washington, DC—The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) President and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu released the following statement on the federal government shutdown:

“Tonight, our leaders in Washington put politics ahead of American taxpayers by choosing to shut down the federal government,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, President of the United States Conference of Mayors. During this shutdown, mayors will keep police on the streets, and cities and towns, the country’s economic engine, humming along. We hope in the coming days Washington leadership will put petty politics behind them, realize that chaos is against the national interest, and get back to work on a bipartisan basis. It’s what we do every day.”

“Next week, Republican and Democratic mayors will gather in Washington to discuss the big issues facing our country and how to better partner with the federal government to apply the bipartisan solutions that work in our cities each day. We hope that this will be a productive week.”