For Immediate Release Friday, October 5, 2013

Contact: Josh Morrow (215) 531-1377

Naughton Demands that Fitzpatrick Sign Discharge Petition

This is now a matter of ending the suffering of district residents, says Naughton (Point Pleasant, PA) Today, Shaughnessy Naughton, Democratic candidate for Congress in Pennsylvanias 8th Congressional District, asked Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick to sign a discharge petition immediately. If an absolute majority of House members sign the petition, a bill to end the shutdown can be voted on. Eighteen Republican votes are needed. I am asking Congressman Fitzpatrick to be a leader in his party and do whats right, said Naughton. Children need access to nutrition programs. Federal employees need to be paid. We need meteorologists to predict dangerous weather patterns. Please, Congressman Fitzpatrick dont tank our economy and hurt your constituents. In a press call with reporters yesterday, Congressman Fitzpatrick vowed to donate his wages earned during the shutdown to charity if federal workers do not receive back pay for the time they were furloughed. In an October 3rd press release, Fitzpatrick claimed that he is declining his pay during the shutdown, contradicting his statements from yesterday. Fitzpatrick also referenced legislation he cosponsored that would block Congressional pay in the case of a shut down, but did not mention that the bill would not go into effect until November 2014. In the press call, Congressman Fitzpatrick added I take responsibility, Im a member of the U.S. Congress. [MidWeek Wire 10/4/13] Im glad that Congressman Fitzpatrick is donating his wages to charity, said Naughton. Because a lot more people are going to be needing charity thanks to the shutdown he helped create. The Eighth Districts AmeriCorps Vista members, who put their careers on hold to serve the community, are now working without pay. AmeriCorps members live paycheck-to-paycheck, and they now cant afford groceries, cant afford gas, and are counting down the few days left until they are served eviction notices. Cases like these have rippling economic effects throughout the whole area. Naughton urged Congressman Fitzpatrick to sign the discharge petition to help prevent another economic recession. The bill that House Democrats are trying to get signatures on is the Government Shutdown Prevention Act, introduced in March by Rep. James Lankford (R-OK).

In his October 3rd press release, Fitzpatrick lauds the fact that he co-sponsored the bill, explaining that it would help prevent government shutdowns. Congressman Fitzpatrick is being a hypocrite all over the place. First he is cutting his pay during a shutdown, then he is considering giving it to charity. First he is proud of his cosponsorship of the Government Shutdown Prevention Act, then he refuses to vote for it. He is not putting his money where his mouth is and he is not representing the needs of the Eighth District. I dont understand how he can expect voters to trust him after so much flip -flopping. The House has until October 11th to sign the discharge petition. The debt limit expires on October 17th, and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the country would default on its debt between October 22nd and October 31st. Refusing to raise the debt ceiling would cripple the economy even worse than the continuing shutdown, Naughton continued. Please, Congressman Fitzpatrick. Take one minute to sign something that will solve the problem. ###