While hardworking Americans employed by the Department of Homeland Security remain unpaid during what has become the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, our supposed public servants in the Senate have the audacity to take a two-week vacation – and they're actually defending it.
Senator Chris Coons, the Delaware Democrat who epitomizes everything wrong with the Washington swamp, had the nerve to justify this taxpayer-funded break by claiming senators are "working in their home states." Really, Senator? Tell that to the border patrol agents and TSA workers who can't pay their rent while you're probably attending cocktail parties with lobbyists back home.
This is exactly the kind of tone-deaf, elitist behavior that President Trump was elected to drain from the swamp. Here we have federal employees – many of whom are working without pay to keep America safe – while the very people responsible for ending this crisis jet off for a comfortable two-week holiday.
The Swamp Protects Itself
Let's be crystal clear about what's happening here: Congress created this mess, and instead of staying in Washington to fix it, they're running home with their tails between their legs. Meanwhile, DHS employees who actually serve the American people are left holding the bag.
"This is government at its worst – politicians living high on the hog while the people who do the real work suffer the consequences of Washington's failures."
Where's the leadership? Where's the sense of urgency? If private sector employees performed this poorly, they'd be fired on the spot. But in the swamp, failure gets rewarded with vacation time.
President Trump has consistently called out this kind of congressional laziness, and he's been proven right once again. While he's fighting to secure our border and put America First, career politicians like Coons are more concerned with their comfort than with serving the people who elected them.
The American people deserve better than senators who treat public service like a part-time job with full-time benefits. How long will we tolerate politicians who put their own convenience ahead of the nation's business?