A group of Republican and Democratic House members’ mission is to find common ground on contentious issues.
The group is called, “The Problem Solvers Caucus.”
They are looking for a solution to the government shutdown. They met with the president earlier this month and were unable to agree to a compromise.
As party leaders continue to battle with the president and each other, the Problem Solvers are working on easing the damage caused by the shutdown.
The partial government shutdown is headed into its second month with no end in sight.
Congressman Anthony Brindisi of New York says if leadership on both sides aren’t talking, there’s no compromise to be had.
“We can’t let this go on much longer. It’s bad for our economy it’s bad for our federal workforce,” he said. “The first step is just sitting down and talking.“
New York Congressman Tom Reed said, “Why can’t we just work out the details and take care of these employees who are caught in the middle of it too?? I’m from a family of 12 and I can assure you we’ve had many of family squabbles but at the end of the day, we recognize we have to work together in order for the household to stand firm. That’s exactly what needs to happen here.”
The stalemate over President Trump’s $5.7 billion border wall has stood in the way of any progress.
As negotiations continue, Congressman Brindisi wants relief for TSA workers hurt by the shutdown. He introduced legislation to start paying them immediately.
“I think we should come forward with some kind of counter-offer maybe a permanent solution to DACA,” he said.
“It would use a portion of the security fee that we pay on our airline tickets to help pay our TSA workers who are keeping us safe at our airports. This is not a long-term solution this is a band-aid.”
Brindisi says the long-term solution is getting the government up and running.
