Today, with four days remaining until the government funding deadline, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued the following statement on the need to fund the government and prevent 1.3 million servicemembers nationwide from being forced to work without pay:

“In just four days, the U.S. government will run out of funding, triggering an entirely preventable government shutdown that will have disastrous consequences on large swaths of Americans, including federal workers, seniors, veterans, and Americans who rely on timely government services. For servicemembers, who already sacrifice so much in service to our country, this shutdown will be particularly devastating. In Virginia alone, 129,400 active-duty servicemembers will be forced to continue working without pay – a phenomenon that will undermine our national security and threaten the wellbeing of military families. Servicemembers should never be put in this situation. We urge our colleagues in the House of Representatives to put our military and our country before politics. Congress must do its job and fund the government.”