In response to the following article: http://northcountrynow.com/news/north-country-rep-stefanik-supporting-bill-pay-tsa-screeners-during-govt-shutdown-0251833 -- the Service Fee was passed into law in 2002, after the 911 horror in Manhattan, to help pay for the many new air travel security measures being implemented. Today, at $5 one-way, and $11 round trip it’s easy to realize that billions of dollars are being payed by the flying public annually.

This money was originally intended to to help pay for TSA salaries, but alas, in 2014 Paul Ryan, in a crafty budget manipulation, diverted most of this funding to federal deficit reduction. I guess H.R. 705 will try to give those dollars back to TSA. That’s OK, but what about all the others that aren’t being paid? The Coast Guard, Border Patrol, FBI, Secret Service, IRS, FAA, State Department, FDA! The list goes on!

The right and just thing to do would be to sponsor a bill that assures that all working employees are paId. Always!

Or better yet, prohibit anyone, or any government entity, from using a shutdown as a political lever to attain party predilection or bias.

In the last sentence of the press release, Stefanik said “I will continue to implore Speaker Pelosi to come to the negotiation table so that we can re-open the government and get back to work.”

That’s a subtle but totally untrue implication that The Speaker is responsible for the shutdown. I would like to point out that Speaker Pelosi did not shut down the government. I’m pretty sure I remember seeing our President telling Pelosi and Schumer that he would own the shutdown and that he would not blame Chuck or Nancy.

In fact, he added that he would be proud to own the shutdown. And by the way, Speaker Pelosi did go to the negotiation table, but received a wave and a “Bye-Bye” for her efforts. We all agree on border security somewhat, we just don’t agree on the methods.

Jerry Senecal

Edwards