(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Chicago Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia says he's hoping a solution can be reached by Saturday to avoid a federal government shutdown. He said he also wants to see more federal funding to deal with the influx of migrants.
If a shutdown occurs, thousands of families in the Chicago area could lose benefits that put food on their tables, and thousands of federal employees could go unpaid for the duration, he said.
Republicans have been passing bills that will not reach President Biden's desk, Garcia said.
"The four appropriation bills that they passed are full of ‘anti-woke’ language and severe cuts. It's pretty much evident to everyone that they're dead-on-arrival in the Senate," he said Wednesday.
As for the busloads of migrant asylum-seekers who were shuttled to Chicago from Texas last night, the congressman says the federal government is responsible to pay for their food and shelter in the short term. He said solutions also need to be found with the countries the migrants are coming from.
"We will be challenged with this migration dynamic," he says. "Other parts of the globe are experiencing the same thing, but this is a wake-up call for us to be thoughtful about our foreign policy and about working with other countries to avert this type of a humanitarian crisis."
Garcia said Chicago needs to remain a welcoming city in good times and bad.
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