For Immediate Release
Washington, DC

President Trump’s threat to shut down the federal government rather than sign a spending bill that did not include full funding of his ill-conceived border wall puts federal workers and their families at economic risk during the holidays, and deprives all Americans of the services and protection afforded by the federal government. Federal employees play a vital role in the preservation of wildlife and their habitat, among many other things.

Jamie Rappaport Clark, Former president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, issued this statement: 

“President Trump is playing politics with the lives of millions of government employees and with the health and welfare of all Americans. It is reprehensible that he would force a government shutdown over his insistence on building an expensive, destructive and needless border wall.

“As a former federal employee and director of a federal agency, I know firsthand the important role that federal workers play in our daily lives. To treat them with such disregard speaks volumes about President Trump and his administration.”

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.  

 

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