Community Corner
End the Government Shutdown
THURSDAY: Army Veteran Kevin Strouse (PA-08) Calls on Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick to Take Meaningful Action - End The Shutdown
WHEN: 1:00pm, Thursday, October 3rd 2013
WHERE: Outside Bucks County Vet Center, 2 Canal's End Road, Bristol, PA
WHO: Kevin Strouse, Veteran Army Ranger of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 8th District; Bucks and Montgomery County Veterans; Concerned Citizens
WHAT: Press Conference to Call On Congressman Fitzpatrick to take Meaningful Action - End the Shutdown
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WHY: Congressman Fitzpatrick's vote for the government shutdown puts Bucks and Montgomery Counties' veterans, seniors and working families at risk. Despite his empty rhetoric, every time he has been forced to take a vote, he caves to the Tea Party – voting repeatedly to shut down the government.
BACKGROUND:
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20,000 VA Employees Who Process Claims for 3.7 Million Veterans Could Be Furloughed: USA Today. "...the department-wide message distributed Monday by VA chief of staff Jose Riojas appears to say that about 62,000 VA workers could face temporary furloughs if the government shuts down. Among those would be the roughly 20,000 who process compensation claims for 3.7 million veterans and oversee life insurance policies for nearly 7 million...The threat of a shutdown comes at a time when the VA is beginning to make headway on reducing its backlog of compensation claims." [USA Today 9/24/2013]
Medicare and Medicaid Disbursements Could be Delayed: MSN News. Because post offices are up and running, Social Security checks are still sent out and doctors receive Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements. But if the shutdown extends beyond a few days, fewer federal employees will be available to handle government affairs, meaning many program disbursements will crawl to a standstill. [MSN News 9/28/2013]
71,000 Federal Government Employees Could Be Furloughed in Pennsylvania: CBS News. Here in Pennsylvania, nearly 71,000 federal employees would be furloughed, national parks and museums will be forced to close. [CBS News 9/30/2013]
