INDIANAPOLIS – Congressman Messer and Congressman Rokita have both repeatedly put partisan politics before the nation’s fiscal health, voting to shut down the government on multiple occasions. Their 2013 shut down cost our nation’s economy $24 billion, damaged our military readiness and caused 23,000 Hoosiers to be furloughed.

Congressman Rokita also voted again this month to shutdown the government against the wishes of President Trump, trying to halt crucial military spending that would have denied Hoosiers serving in the military from receiving their paychecks.

FACTS:

Congressman Rokita and Congressman Messer both voted to shut down the government in 2013.

As a result of the 2013 federal government shutdown, at least 23,000 Hoosier workers were furloughed, including veterans and defense workers.

In Indiana, 600 Air Force Reservists and civilian employees, 12,000 Indiana National Guard members, 1,000 Indiana National Guard civilian employees, 1,000 federal technicians and at least 15 employees at Naval Station Crane were furloughed as a result of the 2013 shutdown.

The 2013 shutdown also furloughed around 4,000 veterans and put veterans’ benefits at risk, including stalling progress on addressing the backlog of veterans’ disability claims.

Congressman Rokita voted again this month to shut down the government and block crucial increases to military spending, going against the president and the majority of his own party.

While thousands of Hoosiers went without a paycheck, Congressman Rokita kept his pay during the 2013 government shutdown, arguing he should keep it because he was “doing [his] job.”

In September, Congressman Messer and Rokita broke with the president to shut down the government, default on our national debt, and oppose billions of dollars in disaster relief for those rebuilding after hurricanes in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico.

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