Plaskett Grateful Trump Will Fund Federal Government For Three Weeks

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett issued the following statement Friday on President Donald Trump’s announcement that he is finally ending the government shutdown and temporarily reopening the federal government:

“After the longest shut down in history, I am pleased that the government will reopen and federal employees will be paid,” Plaskett said. “The solution to the Trump Shutdown has always been simple: reopen the government, pay federal employees, and then begin a period of constructive negotiations on border security.”

Although Trump’s plan will only fund the U.S. government for three weeks, the delegate to congress said some good will come of it.

“It is sad that it took 35 days of inflicting pain and misery on Americans for President Trump and Republicans to come to their senses and agree to this solution, but it is better late than never,” Plaskett said.

Plaskett pledged to work in a bipartisan way for the good of the territory.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle and across the Capitol to craft a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security that provides smart, effective solutions for border security while staying true to our values as Americans,” she said.

John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.