,,iii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #ff ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #aa1 #bjai ,mrs4 ,feinstein 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,collins1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 and ,mr4 ,blumenthal7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,appropriations ,,resolution ,rejecting the use of ,government shutdowns4 ,whereas the ,government shutdown that began on ,december #bb1 #bjah 7referred to in this preamble as the ,government shutdown71 lasted #ce days before ending on ,january #be1 #bjai1 becoming the longest shutdown in the history of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,congressional ,budget ,office has estimated that the ,government shutdown caused an #aa1jjj1jjj1jjj decline in the gross domestic product of the ,united ,states1 #c1jjj1jjj1jjj of which will never be recovered2 ,whereas the ,government shutdown caused significant harm to the ,united ,states by disrupting important activities and services carried out by-- 7#a7 the ,department of ,agriculture2 7#b7 the ,department of ,commerce2 7#c7 the ,department of ,homeland ,security2 7#d7 the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development2 7#e7 the ,department of the ,interior2 7#f7 the ,department of ,justice2 7#g7 the ,department of ,state2 7#h7 the ,department of ,transportation2 7#i7 the ,department of the ,treasury2 7#aj7 the ,environmental ,protection ,agency2 7#aa7 the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration2 7#ab7 the ,national ,science ,foundation2 and 7#ac7 other ,federal agencies2 ,whereas1 according to the ,administrative ,office of the ,united ,states ,courts1 the ,government shutdown caused delays and uncertainty within the judicial branch of the ,government1 a branch co-equal with the legislative branch and the executive branch2 ,whereas the ,government shutdown created unnecessary chaos and1 in many cases1 financial hardship for the approximately #hjj1jjj ,federal workers who were forced to go without paychecks during the duration of the ,government shutdown and for the families of those ,federal workers2 ,whereas the ,federal workers working without pay or furloughed as a result of the ,government shutdown experienced preventable hardship due to no fault of their own1 and ,federal contractor employees affected by the ,government shutdown may never recover the entirety of their lost wages2 ,whereas private businesses working with ,federal agencies affected by the ,government shutdown saw a reduction in income and indirect consequences1 including-- 7#a7 issues with obtaining ,federal permits1 loans1 and grants2 and 7#b7 in the case of small businesses with ,federal contracts1 not having enough work for the employees of those small businesses2 ,whereas airports experienced delays during the ,government shutdown1 as ,transportation ,security ,administration agents and air traffic controllers1 who remained on the job1 dedicated to the safety of every flight1 were forced to work without pay in an already stressful profession2 ,whereas the ,government shutdown-- 7#a7 suspended the use of ,e-,verify technology by employers to verify the immigration status of their workers2 7#b7 caused a #aj-percent increase in the backlog of cases in the immigration court system2 and 7#c7 forced members of the ,coast ,guard1 ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection1 and ,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs ,enforcement to miss #b paychecks and suffer severe financial hardship2 ,whereas the ,government shutdown threatened public health by hampering the operations of the ,food and ,drug ,administration1 limiting-- 7#a7 the ability to address critical medical drug shortages2 and 7#b7 ,federal oversight of the food supply and medical products in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas1 according to the ,,fbi ,agents ,association1 the ,government shutdown inhibited the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation from carrying out the full operations of the ,bureau2 ,whereas seniors at the ,maritime ,academies were unable to take licensing exams due to the ,government shutdown1 which will significantly delay the job searches of those seniors1 and merchant mariners were unable to renew licenses2 ,whereas thousands of low-income senior or disabled households were at risk of losing rental assistance during the ,government shutdown2 ,whereas small nonprofit groups across the ,united ,states that assist the homeless and victims of domestic violence were unable to access grants when employees were furloughed2 ,whereas1 in the wake of one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in the history of the ,united ,states1 the ,forest ,service was forced to suspend wildfire prevention efforts due to the ,government shutdown2 ,whereas the ,government shutdown harmed the ,national ,parks and tourism that supports the ,national ,parks1 and resulted in-- 7#a7 iconic ,joshua trees being damaged and chopped down2 7#b7 historical artifacts being stolen2 7#c7 animals being harassed2 and 7#d7 sensitive habitat being trampled2 ,whereas the ,government shutdown-- 7#a7 severely limited the ability of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration 7referred to in this preamble as ,,noaa7 to fulfill critical regulatory and resource management responsibilities2 7#b7 kept numerous fishermen off the water in ,new ,england and other coastal areas because those fishermen were unable to obtain required permits from ,,noaa2 and 7#c7 created a significant backlog of work on many critical initiatives of ,,noaa2 and ,whereas the ,federal ,government has experienced #ba shutdowns since #aigf1 ranging in duration from #a day to #ce days3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 affirms that1 no matter how long a ,government shutdown lasts1 a ,government shutdown causes unnecessary pain-- 7,a7 to ,federal workers2 and 7,b7 to the people of the ,united ,states2 7#b7 rejects the future use of a ,government shutdown as a negotiating tactic2 and 7#c7 believes that the ,government should never resort to a shut down again4