Politics & Government

Meng Calls for House to End Shutdown

Congress members for Queens, Brooklyn say House GOP should end shutdown of federal government.

Matthew Hampton contributed to this article.

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-Flushing, was among several Congress members representing the five boroughs that called for House Republicans to end the shutdown of the federal government.

The congresswoman said she believed it was time for the GOP to “end its obsession with derailing Obamacare.”

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“The GOP shutdown is hurting millions of Americans, including children, seniors, veterans and small businesses,” Meng said. “Instead of churning up new talking points that they can use during the election season next year, House Republicans need to focus on reopening the entire government so we can tackle the real problems facing our nation and avoid jumping from one manufactured, self-inflicted crisis to the next.”

And U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-Brooklyn, stood in a mostly empty House chamber Monday night beside a chalkboard that displayed the total votes needed to reopen the government.

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“What are you so angry about?” Jeffries asked. “Enough with this myth that the Affordable Care Act is a train wreck.”

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