“It is outrageous that Vice President Pence and hundreds of President Trump’s political appointees will each receive a $10,000 raise while denying paychecks to 800,000 federal employees as they keep the government shut down. This is after two years of the Trump Administration systematically targeting federal employees and freezing their pay.  I’m proud to represent more than 62,000 federal employees in Maryland, many of whom have been affected by this unnecessary and dangerous shutdown, for which the President said he would proudly take responsibility.  I call on Leader McConnell to allow the Senate to vote on the measures House Democrats passed last night to end the Trump shutdown, reopen government, and provide retroactive pay to those who have been forced to go without a paycheck as a result of the President’s temper tantrum.”