North Carolina 4th District Congressman David Price is bringing a federal employee to the State of the Union address Tuesday night, highlighting the impact of the partial government shutdown that lasted from late 2018 through most of January.

The State of the Union itself was delayed from its original date, which fell as the shutdown was continuing.

Price announced that Kenneth Krebs, a chemist at an Environmental Protection Agency facility in RTP would be his guest for Tuesday night’s address from President Donald Trump.

Representatives often bring guests that bring attention to a certain issue of the day. Last year, Price brought a local DACA recipient as his guest as the future of the program that allowed for undocumented children to remain in the United States without fear of deportation.

Price said Krebs – this year’s guest who Price’s office also identified as the vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3347 – was able to represent workers who were furloughed or worked without pay during the partial government shutdown that lasted for more than a month.

“President Trump’s reckless and irresponsible government shutdown impacted hundreds of thousands of public servants nationwide, including North Carolinians like Kenneth Krebs, whose lifesaving environmental research at the EPA facility in RTP was put on hold,” Price said in a release. “I’m pleased Kenneth could join me at this year’s State of the Union to send a clear message to the Trump administration that federal employees’ paychecks shouldn’t be held hostage.”

The State of the Union address is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

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