Senate Chaplain Barry Black on Monday offered a pointed prayer, saying he hopes lawmakers remember that “no gold medals given” for breaking shutdown records.
“Eternal God, our king, when our children and grandchildren want to know what we were doing in the 119th Congress, during the famous shutdown, may we not have to give these answers: ‘I helped set a new record for keeping the government closed,’ ‘I failed to appeal to the better angels of my nature,’ ‘I forgot Matthew 7:12, which states, ‘Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you,’” Black said Monday in the Senate.
“This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and prophets. Lord remind our lawmakers that no gold medals are given for breaking shutdown records, but a crown of righteousness is given to those who take care of the lost,” he added.
Democratic and Republican strategists and pollsters have both seen the government shutdown as a growing liability for both sides of the aisle, possibly pushing congressional leaders to look for a way out of the situation soon.
The largest federal workers’ government union has called for the shutdown to end. On Monday, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President Everett Kelley said that it was “time” for Congress to immediately push through a clean continuing resolution (CR) to open up the government.
“No half measures, and no gamesmanship,” Kelley said. “Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today.
According to its website, the AFGE represents over 800,000 workers in “nearly every” federal government agency.
