Jimmy Patronis urges Florida bankers to be fair to service members, government employees during federal shutdown

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis sent a letter to the Florida Bankers Association^[1] urging them to go easy on troops impacted by the federal shutdown^[2].

“If a funding agreement is not reached, many federal employees will see reduced checks on Oct. 10 and nothing more until funding is restored,” Patronis wrote to Florida Bankers Association President and CEO Kathy Kraninger.

“Active duty service members, whose mid-month payday is on Oct. 15, are not expected to receive further compensation until the shutdown ends.”

Patronis said it’s not the fault of soldiers; they aren’t getting paid. But the Fort Walton Beach Republican was happy to lay blame on Senate Democrats.

“Although the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a ‘clean’ Continuing Resolution, the Senate has failed to pass the bill to keep the lights on,” Patronis wrote. “Unfortunately, while Republicans are largely unified, we need 60 votes in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Chuck Schumer and his fellow Senate Democrats are facing challenges from the Left flank to fight President (Donald) Trump, even if it’s at the cost of the American public.”

The impact on service members could be especially impactful in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, where thousands of service members are stationed. Patronis said many of those troops rely on Florida banks for service.

“Given the composition of the district and the reality that an estimated 60% of workers live paycheck to paycheck, I fear potential delays in receiving compensation will affect the ability of many constituents to pay housing costs and will lead to adverse credit reporting,” Patronis wrote.

The Congressman previously served^[3] as Florida’s Chief Financial Officer and said he was deeply aware of the number of federal government investments in Florida communities, especially those near military installations. He doesn’t want hits to service members’ credit ratings to adversely impact the entire Florida economy.

“Considering these unfortunate circumstances, please use common sense and be flexible during this time,” Patronis said. “It’s bad enough we’ve got servicemen and women who’ll miss a paycheck, let’s not further kick them while they are down with further penalties. By providing this flexibility, your members will prevent lasting adverse consequences for service members, federal employees, and their spouses.

“I promise you it’s not only the right thing to do, but your customers will thank you for it in the long run. Just because Democrats in DC are acting like a bunch of knuckleheads doesn’t mean you should too.”