Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill released the following statement on the federal government shutdown:

“It is completely unacceptable that U.S. House Republicans are willing to shut down the government. This will upset our economic recovery and cause thousands of Missourians real pain.

“They know that the President will not back up on his work to provide affordable and accessible health care. They know that the Senate will not overturn these reforms.

“A decision was made at the ballot box last November, and supporters of the Affordable Care Act were returned to office by the American people. We can negotiate federal spending and the budget. We should not negotiate on keeping our government functioning and paying our bills. It is time for Speaker Boehner to allow the House to vote on a clean government funding bill without the unrealistic and irresponsible political posturing.”

A federal government shutdown will effect jobs and businesses across the country. Consequences will include: delayed benefits for our veterans; furloughs for 39,000 federal employees in Missouri; delays in vital loans for small businesses, and in Social Security checks for seniors enrolling in the program for the first time.