During an appearance on MSNBC, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) criticized congressional leadership, calling out what she described as political hypocrisy for leaving districts unrepresented while lawmakers are not in session to address a government funding crisis.
Crockett expressed concern over the extended vacancy in Texas’s 18th congressional district following the passing of former Representative Sylvester Turner.
She accused Texas Governor Greg Abbott of “slow walking” the special election, noting that the seat may be without representation for nearly a year. Crockett argued that the roughly 800,000 constituents in the district are unable to access constituent services for agencies like the VA, IRS, or Social Security.
The Congresswoman also criticized Speaker Mike Johnson for refusing to swear in Representative-elect Alita Grijalva, a move that the hosts characterized as “pure partisan power consideration” to maintain a slim majority.
Crockett highlighted that because Rep.-elect Grijalva is not sworn in, she cannot log into official systems or open cases, leaving her constituents without staff or necessary services.
She broadened her critique to address the US House’s extended recess amid the government funding debate, stating that Congress is essentially on “vacation” while people across the country are facing hardship.
“This isn’t about partisanship. Again, to me, I mean, like, it’s really like, really clear to me. We have over 40 million people in this country that are not going to be with their SNAP benefits because you have people that have decided that they believe that they are basically pawns in a game of chess,” said Crockett.
“That is not what anyone should want from their elected officials, whether you are a SNAP recipient or otherwise. And the idea that we’re still getting paid while we’re telling air traffic controllers who are responsible for keeping planes and people safe, that they’re not getting checks, or while we’re looking at TSA, which they tend to be some of our lowest paid federal employees, and tell them, “Oh well, just keep showing up to work because if you go get another job, you’re going to lose this job while we literally are not working.” Crockett continued. “Make it make sense. And ultimately, I need everybody to just vote in their own best interest.”
We will note that the U.S. House passed the Continuing Resolution in September, and Senate Democrats have voted 15 times to block the CR, keeping the government closed.
READ: Florida Sen. Scott Blasts Dems On Fox News For ‘Schumer Shutdown’ And Blocking ‘No Pay’ Bill
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