Enough is Enough: APLU Urges Immediate End to Government Shutdown

Washington, DC – Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) President Peter McPherson today released a statement about the ongoing partial government shutdown after the Senate failed to approve two different proposals to reopen the government.

“The Senate’s failure to pass a bill with or without funding for a border wall makes clear that compromise is needed to end this partial government shutdown. Enough is enough. Something needs to change or else we’ll be stuck in this situation indefinitely. Regardless of the reasons for how this shutdown came to be in the first place or who is to blame, the White House and Congress need to come together to quickly chart a path out.

“The effects of the partial government shutdown are steadily piling up after nearly five weeks. With many government agencies shuttered, vital programs are shriveling and workers across the country are being forced to cope without multiple paychecks. This is completely unnecessary.

“On public university campuses, research projects have been delayed and harmed. Circumstances will get much worse if the shutdown drags on much longer. Prolonged funding impasses undermine our nation’s goal of maintaining its position as the world’s leader in research and innovation.”