Contact: trey.pollard@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC. - The United States Federal Government shut down tonight after the Republican Party, which controls all branches of government, failed to appropriate the funding that would allow the government to continue operating. The shutdown was precipitated by Donald Trump’s decision to rescind the DACA program, subsequently allowing no workable solution, and all the while pressing for what is widely recognized as an expensive and environmentally destructive border wall boondoggle.
Shutting down the government means that the Environmental Protection Agency will soon be shuttered. At the same time uncertain, unprecedented plans for national parks and public lands will throw the park service, park visitors, and the communities surrounding our public lands into chaos.
In Response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune Released the Following Statement:
“This shutdown is a result of the dysfunction and chaos that Trump embodies with his every word, action, and tweet. Trump and Congressional Republicans control every branch of the federal government, and it is now shut down. Now our public lands are in jeopardy, the agencies that safeguard our health and our communities are about to be shuttered, and hundreds of thousands of public servants will be sent home. At the same time, Trump and the Republican Congress are still refusing to provide sufficient relief and recovery funding to the hundreds of thousands of Americans suffering and in the dark after Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma. This was all done because the Trump Administration refuses to act on the urgent need to protect the Dreamers, who have lived in the United States nearly their entire lives, from senseless deportation.
“Our government is shutting down and families are at risk of being torn apart because Trump cares about nothing other than his reckless, dangerous, and racist policies. The public knows who is supposed to be in charge and who has failed to do their jobs and act with even the most basic morality. We won’t forget anytime soon.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.