Dublin Residents Voice Concerns to Congressman Barrow on Government Shutdown

DUBLIN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – As partisan politics plays out in Washington D.C., one Middle Georgia U.S. lawmaker made a pit stop in Dublin Monday to hear the community’s thoughts and concerns on the government shutdown.

Dublin residents have a message to congress.

“Start working together so that all the people in the federal government can start working for the people again,” Bill George, a Dublin resident, said.

George is a furloughed worker at Robins Air Force Base. He came out to U.S. Representative John Barrow’s “Congress on the Corner” town hall meeting at Lou Ann’s Biscuits and Burgers to get an update on what’s happening on Capitol Hill.

“I want to know where we’re going in the near future and see if we can’t get out of this deadlock we have between two houses,” George said.

Over breakfast and coffee, Barrow answered questions and listened to the community’s concerns.

“I hear them loud and clear,” Barrow said.

“It showed he cared about the people, and to me, that’s what they’re elected for,” Dublin resident Brenda Vanderveen said. “To hear our viewpoints and to take them back with them and hopefully help them make good decisions for everybody.”

Barrow says their main concern was the government shutdown.

“The folks who wanted to shut down 99% of the government because they couldn’t agree on 1% are basically backing down, meanwhile folks on the other side seem to be getting their backs up, trying to exact some concessions as well,” Barrow said.

Barrow adds he sees a compromise in the future, but it will require some give and take on both sides of the aisle.

“It seems the folks who started this fight are now in a mood to compromise. The last thing we need is folks on the other side who didn’t start it to continue this in order to exact some concessions for their side,” Barrow said. “Both sides should be prepared to give and take and end this thing as quickly as possible.”

Barrow adds lawmakers should not be holding parts of the government hostage just because “Congress can’t get it’s act together.”

Barrow says he is donating his pay everyday during the government shutdown to the Augusta Warrior Project and urges his colleagues to do the same, saying that would help “end this thing sooner rather than later.”