LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Police ordered activists and members of the media to move back outside Wednesday during a protest at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Lexington office.
Roughly 75 to 100 people gathered outside McConnell’s office to protest the partial government shutdown that has furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
At one point the activists took the protest indoors but were told by office staff to leave. When some refused, Lexington police ordered them out, warning failure to comply would result in arrests.
@senatemajldr Lexington office staffers kicks protestors and media back outside. @LEX18News pic.twitter.com/A9NkHyTJ0l
— Michael Berk (@LEX18_Michael) January 23, 2019
Their message was clear. Protesters want McConnell to call a vote and end the government shutdown, which is now more than a month old and the longest on record.
Some 800,000 federal employees have either been working without pay, or not working at all, and many of them are having to rely on assistance just to get by.
“A lot of them are having to look at other ways to put food on the table. Many of our workers, TSA, are having to go to work and not get paid,” Jeremy Lannen, vice president of the American Federation of Government, told LEX 18.
McConnell took to the Senate floor early Wednesday afternoon, where he continued to blame Democrats for not accepting President Donald Trump’s offer involving an extension of protection for some immigrants.
