Mayor Larson provides statement ahead of expected shutdown

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have not passed a short-term spending bill to avoid a federal government shutdown as of Friday evening.

Duluth Mayor Emily Larson released a statement to city councilors on Friday to address local concerns ahead of the potential shutdown.

The statement is as follows:

Good Afternoon President Kennedy, Vice President Randorf and Councilors,

Thank you for your service to Duluth.

This week at the City we have been closely monitoring the potential for a federal government shut down after September 30th. A lot can happen in a short amount of time, so it may be that a shut down gets averted through Congressional action, but we’ve been asked by some of you and many members of the media about this and I want to share what we’re thinking.

It’s challenging to anticipate the degree of shut-down impact without knowing the duration, but programs such as Workforce Development, CDBG, HOME and HUD, as well as the many federal grants we rely on, are areas and items we will be paying close attention to. At this time, we do not anticipate any imminent crisis as a result of a short or temporary shut down.

For a variety of reasons I am hopeful that a shut down is averted through continuing resolution, but if not, know that we last experienced and successfully navigated a 30-day partial shutdown Dec 2018-Jan 2019.

As local elected leaders, we all know that shutting down municipal services isn’t an option, and we’re all doing the right work to keep local government moving and working for people. Thank you for your hard work and leadership. Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions.

Emily

Emily Larson
Duluth Mayor