Congressman Andy Harris, who represents Maryland’s 1st district in the U.S. House of Representatives, has criticized Maryland’s Senate Democrats for not taking action to reopen the federal government. Harris warned that continued inaction could impact Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, military pay, and essential federal services.
In a statement, Harris said: “I think it’s a chokepoint for America. Between SNAP benefits running out on Saturday, air traffic controllers, and the military potentially not getting paid if we go into November — these are all things that should never happen. The House voted five weeks ago to keep the government open, and it’s about time the Senate follows suit,” said Congressman Harris. “The breaking point has been reached. The American Federation of Government Employees, of course, earlier this week called for a clean CR to be passed. This is a Democrat union for all intents and purposes, so they’re calling on their own leaders to end this shutdown. You have that, you have the SNAP benefits, you have the air traffic controller — you have all the things converging. I think within a week, I think a reasonable handful of Senate Democrats are going to vote to end the shutdown.”
Harris has served in Congress since 2011 after replacing Frank Kratovil as representative for Maryland’s 1st district. He previously served in both chambers of Maryland’s state legislature from 1999 to 2011 and was born in New York City in 1957 before moving to Cambridge.
The ongoing government shutdown continues to raise concerns about its effects on federal employees and programs such as SNAP and military pay.
