Lara Trump, the wife of President Donald Trump’s son Eric, has a message for the more than 800,000 federal workers going without pay amid the ongoing partial government shutdown: It’s “a little bit of pain” but your children will thank you later.
The host of “Real News Insights,” a webcast funded by Trump’s re-election campaign, told digital news network Bold TV on Monday that the president is doing “everything he can” to resolve the federal budget impasse.
“Listen, it’s not fair to you and we all get that,” Lara Trump said. “But this is so much bigger than any one person. It is a little bit of pain but it’s going to be for the future of our country. And their children and their grandchildren and generations after them will thank them for their sacrifice right now.”
The shutdown ― the longest such closure in U.S. history ― entered its 33rd day on Wednesday with no end in sight. The president has vowed to veto a spending bill that would reopen federal agencies affected by the shutdown if it does not include $5.7 billion toward his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats have steadfastly denied his demand, calling the wall ineffective and immoral.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed or, if deemed essential, continue to work without pay. Though they will likely receive back pay once the government reopens, many are struggling to pay rent or buy necessities in the interim. And it’s estimated hundreds of thousands ― if not millions ― of government contractor workers will likely never receive retroactive pay.
Workers across several federal agencies ― including Coast Guard members, Transportation Security Administration screeners and others ― have been consumed with anxiety as they struggle to put food on their tables, afford their medicines and pay their mortgages.
Lara Trump on Monday said she understands their hardships but hopes they realize this is the Trump administration’s “one opportunity” to fix the country’s immigration issues.
“I know it’s hard,” she told Bold TV. “I know they have bills to pay, they have mortgages, they have rents that are due, but the president is trying every single day to come up with a good solution here. The reality is it’s been something that has gone on for too long and been unaddressed ― our immigration problem. If we do nothing right now, it’s never going to get fixed. This is our one opportunity.”
“I would just tell them, please stay strong,” she continued. “We appreciate everything that you’re sacrificing. We’re behind you and we are going to do everything that we can, I know the president is doing everything he can, to resolve this quickly.”
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