WASHINGTON D.C. — An Ohio Senator is speaking out on how a potential government shutdown could impact the Miami Valley.
Lawmakers are running out of time to avoid a looming government shutdown and have until the end of the week to agree on something.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he’s pushing for a short-term continuing resolution, but some Republicans said they will oppose any continuing resolution, even if it means a shutdown.
The U.S. Senate is working on its own continuing resolution which would keep the government open for the next six weeks at current spending levels.
The Dayton region’s military and federal installations, like Wright Patterson Air Force Base, represent more than $19 billion in economic activity, according to the Dayton Development Coalition.
It could be impacted by a shutdown with federal workers going without pay.
News Center 7′s Xavier Hershovitz spoke with Ohio Senator J.D. Vance about avoiding a government shutdown on Wednesday.
>>RELATED: Dayton congressman speaks on how government shutdown could impact Miami Valley
Vance says his focus has been not just on funding the government, but also on meeting people’s needs.
He feels a spending bill needs to include border security to address the ongoing immigration crisis.
“What too many people in this town have asked for is effectively no change in business,” he told Hershovitz. “Just give us a blank check. Let us do whatever we want to do. And I don’t think that’s our job.”
He says any government shutdown would cause some problems for people back home.
“I think that if we do the actual job of legislators, funding the government, and also make sure the government is focused on the right things, we can have a win-win proposition here where we limit the suffering to people who work for the government,” he said. We also ensure that the government is doing its job and that to me is the ultimate goal here.”
Vance tells Hershovitz he wants to limit the suffering of people who depend on those government jobs, but also make sure that the border is secured and not cause any suffering in the Dayton area or anywhere else.
>>RELATED: Government shutdown: What happens to Social Security, Medicare, VA benefits and more?
If there is a shutdown, here are some of the things it would do:
- 4 million federal workers would not get paid
- WIC benefits would temporarily end for close to 13 million Americans, this helps feed women, infants, and young children
- U.S. Economy could lose $6 billion a week
We will continue to provide updates on this developing story.
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