On Monday, President Obama met with FEMA officials at the National Response Coordinating Center, where he thanked them for their dedicated service during the shutdown in light of the arrival of Tropical Storm Karen and other potential natural disasters. The President repeated his call for Congress to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government and to raise the debt limit. The President noted that about 86% of FEMA employees are currently furloughed.
He concluded:
I think the American people simply want government to work. And there’s no reason that there has to be a shutdown in order for the kinds of negotiations Speaker Boehner says he wants to proceed. Hold a vote. Call a vote right now.