Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack delivered stories of Iowans who have been affected by the shutdown directly to President Obama during a meeting at the White House yesterday. More than 1,100 Iowans from the Second District have written or called Loebsack since the shutdown began to express their concern and share their personal stories. Excerpts from some of the letters are below. Included with the letters from Iowans, Loebsack also wrote the President to highlight how the shutdown is having an impact on families in the state. A copy of that letter can be found here.
"Many Iowans are needlessly hurting due to the government shutdown. It is at the height of irresponsibility that Iowans are being hurt by reckless Washington dysfunction. All of this could be solved immediately by taking the simple step of passing a clean funding resolution to reopen the government," said Congressman Dave Loebsack.
"I just got an e-mail from our Crisis Center co-ordinator, informing all of the hotline volunteers, that this shutdown by the Govt means that services from HHS, specifically SAMSHA, are doubtful. This means that the National Suicide Prevention Hotline business offices are furloughed. How do you think that your colleagues would feel if one of their own were in trouble and tried to call Lifeline and be told that Congress has furloughed workers? 'Try to find another way to find help if you're feeling suicidal?' ... this hotline shutdown is just plain rotten."
-Bobbie, Iowa City
"I am a counselor working ... on a small military base.... I am furloughed, so it's obviously impacting me, but it's also impacting my clients, many of whom are active duty service members who have been deployed.
I feel like we government employees are caught in the middle of this very childish drama - through no fault of our own.
Please do your best to end this - I am fed up!!"
- Pella
"I work with WIC families and learned early Monday that the offices would not be printing WIC vouchers for families as a result of the shutdown. This means that women who come in every three months for vouchers for milk, infant formula, cereal, bread, and fresh produce will not be receiving them.
Many of these women time their shopping trips to coincide with receiving WIC. They will be out of milk and out of formula, and look forward to getting some bananas and apples for their families. This is terrible news for them."
-Gale, Davenport
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