Roundtable hosted by newly elected U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, discusses pain of shutdown

[ehrnst]

As medical bills mount, so too does Martine’s stress level — the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hydrologist was furloughed in December. She’s not sure if the federal government’s shutdown is affecting her health insurance. She is covering copays for medical visits and medications without a paycheck. And in the last few weeks, she’s had to cancel appointments for acupuncture treatments that help relieve nerve pain.

“With the shutdown, I definitely don’t have the money,” Martine said. “Whatever I have, I have to save for rent or food.”

Martine was one of a handful of federal workers who spoke at a Saturday roundtable hosted by newly elected U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, a Democrat from Albuquerque, to discuss the impact the now three-week shutdown has had on New Mexicans.


Haaland told a small crowd at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque that New Mexico, with 6,000 federal workers, is the second-most affected state in the nation.

“I know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck,” Haaland said. “Sixty percent of Americans have only $500 in the bank that they can use as a slush fund — which you know would never even pay one month of rent. So, it’s affecting us so drastically.”

Haaland heard tales of a widespread ripple effect impacting not only federal employees but also local businesses and Native American tribes.

In the Pueblo of San Felipe, for example, tribal officials said the shutdown has frozen funds for programs. Tribal administrator Pinu’u Stout said some homes on pueblo lands can’t connect to the electric grid because service-line agreements have to go through shuttered federal agencies.
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Jeff Erway, president of La Cumbre Brewing Co. in Albuquerque, said thousands of dollars’ worth of beer his business planned to ship out of state is waiting for federal approval. At least eight applications are in limbo.

“No one in this room should feel bad for me,” Erway said. “… Who you should feel bad for are some of the employees who are quite possibly underemployed because of the shutdown.”

Delivery drivers, servers, dishwashers and cooks are indirectly affected, Erway added, because so many federal employees have stopped eating at restaurants. He’s heard some businesses are down by 20 percent to 25 percent of their customer base.

Among the tales of woe and frustration, government officials and credit unions have offered a few solutions.

Former state Rep. Bill McCamley, the secretary-designate of the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, told the audience that for 180 days, the state is allowing federal employees who are out of work to apply for unemployment benefits — without the requirement that they look for employment because they are, in fact, employed.

Federal workers who receive back pay would have to repay the aid, McCamley said. “For federal employees, what this basically ends up being is a no-interest loan to help you get through your time.”

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/new-mexico-federal-workers-feel-pain-of-shutdown/article_0b7e2fc2-c25d-5c07-b1f9-86f1b1643acd.html

Incredibly proud of this new class, especially the women, doing the work of close listening and giving their constiuents their full attention.

It's the legacy of HRC.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

1. people need this

We need work-arounds for this senseless trumpshutdown.

[sheshe2]

2. I 100% agree with your comment.

The pain and suffering of so many Americans at the hands of a madman is inhumane.

Thank you Deb Haaland for all that you are doing.

[Gothmog]

3. This lady is going to be a star in the Democratic Party

[NurseJackie]

8. She takes her JOB seriously and is more concerned about her constituents and American Citizens...

3. This lady is going to be a star in the Democratic Party

I completely agree with you on that. She takes her JOB seriously and is more concerned about her constituents and American Citizens than she is about fame and notoriety. I put more value on ACTION (not tweets).

[Hortensis]

9. Her support of Hillary back in 2016 ran her

afoul of a group of angry local Sanders supporters, the kind who never understood EITHER Hillary or Trump would be our next president. They tried to take her out for her apostasy (and of course the Republicans leaped in to help), *but she prevailed.*

And here she is.

[NurseJackie]

11. That's an excellent way to describe it...

A group of angry local Sanders supporters tried to take her out for her apostasy

That's an excellent way to describe it... and it's a god damned shame that people have to behave that way.

and the Republicans leaped in to agree with them

Not surprising. Totally predictable. What IS surprising to me, however, is that when that type of outcome is SO obvious, why is it that people go ahead and walk right on in and open the door for the GOP? All I'm saying is that the destructive politics of "revenge" is something that always gives the GOP an opportunity to play their divisive games as well... it serves no good purpose for any Democrat/progressive/liberal to indulge in such vanities. We just don't have that luxury right now.

All hands on deck, baby!

[ehrnst]

15. I didn't know that.

She'll survive. She's no hothouse flower who has been told that everything she says is gospel.

That'll serve her well.

[Hortensis]

16. :) She sure doesn't look like one. Love this picture

taken at her swearing in as a member of the United States Congress.

[betsuni]

4. K&R

[Eliot Rosewater]

5. [phone]

[murielm99]

6. Thank you for posting this.

This lady should be getting exposure all over the country.

[Me.]

7. Thank You

Love what she's doing

[sheshe2]

10. I do too me.

I posted about Ayanna Pressley last night. She is from MA. She took a second oath of office this past weekend in Roxbury, MA with her constituents to thank them for making her win possible.



She made it perfectly clear that she stands for them.

[George II]

12. Even though she didn't win in 2016 ("officially"), Hillary Clinton taught these new congresswomen...

....how to dig in and get the job done.

[brer cat]

13. Doing the job she was elected to do...

...taking care of the people. She is going to be an outstanding Representative.

[Cha]

14. Thank You, Rep Deb Haaland!

Mahalo, ehrnst

[Scurrilous]

17. K&R