WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) released the following statement after Governor Dan Malloy announced the state will provide $800,000 to keep Bridgeport’s Head Start Program open through the end of October. Head Start, a federally-funded program that helps over 1,000 children in the area, was forced to shutter its doors when the government shut down.
Click here to watch Himes’ floor statement regarding the impact of the Republican shutdown on Head Start. A transcript of the statement follows this release.
“I am pleased our state is able to provide interim funding for Bridgeport’s Head Start program, but it should never have come to this. We shouldn’t have to rely on state funding alone to ensure every child gets the education that he or she deserves and that this nation needs for the next generation of workers, innovators, and leaders.
“This week, I met with parents of children who participate in this program and heard just how important Head Start is to the hundreds of families its serves. This program plays a vital role in increasing the quality of life for Bridgeport kids, helping them prepare for school, and providing the care they need so their parents can continue working to provide a home, clothes, and the other necessities of life.
“We need to end the Republican shutdown as soon as possible so that full federal funding for Head Start can be restored. Children should not have to suffer for Congress’s failure to act. I will continue pushing my colleagues to pass a Continuing Resolution so that the government can reopen and Head Start can continue.”
?###
“Mr. Speaker, when Senator Cruz took to the Senate floor for 21 hours to explain to the American public why the Congress had to shut down the government and breach the debt ceiling in order to repeal the Affordable Care Act, I listened carefully. One of the themes was Make DC Listen. Make DC Listen. We know from polling that 70 percent of Americans oppose shutting down the government to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“I went on Monday to listen to my constituents: Tamika Younger and Carla Carey of Bridgeport. These are two young mothers who drop their children at Head Start in Bridgeport every single day so that they can go off to their jobs to make the money to give those children some quality of life. Well, thanks to the Republican government shutdown, there is no Head Start in Bridgeport now, and they are scrambling and putting their jobs at risk to find something to do with those children that they love.
“So Mr. Speaker, let’s make DC listen to 70 percent of Americans and to Tamika and Carla, who have very real problems today.”