Bevin comments on government shutdown and federal employees

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — It is now day 34 of the partial federal government shutdown and Governor Matt Bevin made some remarks about it Thursday.

In a radio interview with WKDZ in Cadiz, Kentucky, Bevin was asked a question about Medicaid and mMedicare funding during this long shutdown.

“So for anybody who is receiving Medicaid and Medicare dollars, they’re not at all affected by this government shutdown. So it’s really a non effect. I think most people in Kentucky are not affected. Some are. There’s a few federal employees, not a few, there are a number of federal employees that live in Kentucky,” said Bevin during the interview.

Bevin went on to say if anyone was in need they could file for unemployment but would then have to give all that money back once the government opened back up.

“But the point is nobody is being left out to dry,” continues Bevin.

These comments came after a federal employee protest at Senator Mitch McConnell’s Lexington office Wednesday.

Some of those protesters say they can’t get unemployment.

“All of the federal workers that are either being forced to go to work, where are you gonna get the gas to drive to work? How are you gonna get there because I have to choose between gas in the car to get to work or lose my job,” says a federal employee. Reese Greer. “And feeding my family and taking care of my other bills and responsibilities.”

Bevin’s comments didn’t sit well with the Democratic Party of Kentucky.

It released a statement saying:

“Once again Bevin showed his true colors today. he doesn’t understand what it’s like to struggle paycheck-to-paycheck, and he believes no one in our state struggles financially. it’s absurd.”

And in response to the democrats statement the Republican Party of Kentucky came back with this:

“Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and John Yarmuth have twice had the opportunity to join Kentucky’s five republican house members, the entire house republican caucus and ten of their fellow house democrats in voting to begin paying federal workers affected by Speaker Pelosi’s shutdown. The Kentucky Democratic Party’s press release is beyond hypocritical seeing as how house democrats are the only thing standing between federal employees and their paychecks.”