Washington, D.C.— Today, the leadership of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) sent a letter to House and Senate leaders urging them to quickly reach an agreement to fund the government and avoid a shutdown of federal agencies. Without action by Friday, four federal departments will see a lapse in appropriations, and the rest of the government is set to run out of funds one week later.
In the letter, mayors talk about the consequences for cities in the event of an extended shutdown and note that most federal employees don’t live in Washington, but rather in cities across America. The letter was signed by USCM President Reno (NV) Mayor Hillary Schieve, USCM Vice President Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther, USCM Second Vice President Oklahoma City (OK) Mayor David Holt, and USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran.
In the letter, they write in part:
“Cities don’t simply shut down. We must continue providing services to the residents we serve. But many cities rely on long-standing partnerships between the federal and local governments. Any disruption to that partnership could threaten public safety, food and housing security, infrastructure, and our small businesses. And the longer a shutdown lasts, the worse it gets with a cascading effect of missed payments and lapses in critical programs and grants upon which city residents rely. Even after a shutdown, history has shown that things do not simply snap back to normal, and the impacts would be felt for months.”
The full text of the letter can be found here and below:
Dear Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Majority Leader Schumer, and Leader McConnell,
With federal government agencies set to run out of money in two phases beginning Friday, American mayors urge the House and Senate to do what is needed to avoid a lapse in appropriations. A government shutdown of any length threatens the significant economic progress we have made since the pandemic, and the impacts could be long-lasting for American cities.
American metro economies represent 90 percent of economic activity in this country, and even a brief shutdown of federal services and programs would impact millions of people living in them. A shutdown isn’t just a Washington problem. Eighty five percent of the federal workforce live outside of Washington, D.C., and many of them live paycheck to paycheck. A shutdown means a household crisis for millions of people who need to pay their rent and buy food for their families.
After numerous short-term extensions, we believe it is important to reach a long-term funding solution that protects investments in mental health, housing, infrastructure, clean energy, and other critical priorities. This is no time to play games or to allow partisanship to derail the American economy and its recovery.
Cities don’t simply shut down. We must continue providing services to the residents we serve. But many cities rely on long-standing partnerships between the federal and local governments. Any disruption to that partnership could threaten public safety, food and housing security, infrastructure, and our small businesses. And the longer a shutdown lasts, the worse it gets with a cascading effect of missed payments and lapses in critical programs and grants upon which city residents rely. Even after a shutdown, history has shown that things do not simply snap back to normal, and the impacts would be felt for months.
The American economy remains strong but vulnerable to self-inflicted wounds. We should not risk our global reputation, credit rating, or the wellbeing of our people with a pointless government shutdown. Mayors urge you to keep our government open for the millions of Americans counting on you.