David Price on Shutdown, Congressional Priorities

The partial federal government shutdown is in day number 27, with no clear end in sight.

National parks are closed, TSA workers are furloughed and domestic food inspection is suspended. Local residents working at federal agencies like the EPA are not being paid. Some contracted workers may never see a penny of back pay.

North Carolina 4th District Congressman David Price said he wants to see an end to this shutdown, and then there are a number of items he would like to get to next.

“It is a long list, but we’re ready to get on with the work. And that’s just another reason to get on with ending this shutdown,” he said.

Campaign finance reform might be at the top of his list. It’s an issue that’s long been a priority for Price.

“And we want to do that same kind of proactive work on campaign reform,” Price said. “In fact, we’ve numbered political reform H.R. 1, the first bill of session is going to deal with gerrymandering, with voter suppression, with the dominance of big money in politics.”

Price helped introduce H.R. 1 earlier this month. The first bill of the new Democratic majority in the House would promote automatic voter registration, outlaw tactics used to remove voters from registration rolls, and set up provisions requiring the president and candidates seeking the country’s highest offices to disclose their tax history.

Additionally, he takes a new leadership role in the House as the Chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development congressional subcommittee. Federal agencies work as a “catalyst and partner” for housing programs in the local area, Price said. He noted that housing was a key issue in the recent municipal races around his district.

“There in Chapel Hill, there’s been a concern for years that we do not price out of the housing market our teachers, our law enforcement people, our town employees,” Price said. “People who live among us and work among us. We need a diverse community in terms of housing opportunities.”

However, that depends on getting the government up and running again, Price said. But he said he thinks if a group of Republican senators say they’re willing to reopen the government, that might force Republican leadership to act.

Otherwise, Price said, it’s in the President’s hands.

Congressman Price Talks Federal Shutdown, Affordable Housing

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