New Castle County Chairman Chuck Boyce responded to federal worker relief bills that were voted on earlier this week. HB 2, which would allow federal workers to avoid civil proceedings by applying for postponement of rent, mortgage payments, insurance premiums, and other financial responsibilities, passed both the House and Senate. However, HB 3, which would provide low interest loans backed by the State to those affected by the shutdown, failed.

“Week after week our elected officials  in Dover push through feel good legislation to keep up the appearance they’re hard at work for the people of Delaware. These two bills are a great example of the smoke and mirrors we’ve unfortunately grown accustomed to from the political class” Chuck Boyce said. “Of course we are all concerned for our fellow Delawareans that are suffering due to the federal government shutdown, but this legislation creates special privileges for those who are employed by the federal government, and sets a precedent that those that work for the government are more deserving than those that have suffered hardships in the private sector.”

There are approximately 525 federal workers that are impacted by the partial federal shutdown in Delaware. HB 3 would have provided a state guarantee of $80,000 for those potential loans, or roughly $152 per person. This bill not only gave the appearance of special privileges for federal workers, but simultaneously encouraged banks to profit off of those same people who are experiencing financial hardship.

“I applaud Delaware Federal Credit Union for stepping up on their own accord and offering 0% interest loans for those affected by the shutdown.” Boyce said. “If you take a deeper dive into which banks are financing democrat campaigns, and which banks pushed for this legislation, the picture becomes a little clearer why certain politicians would disguise this money grab as a do-good piece of legislation. Lining the pockets of financial institutions who prey upon people in the midst of a crisis is frankly not the job of state government.”

Federal workers are currently bracing for a second straight month without pay.

Chuck Boyce is a former U.S. Senate candidate, and current Republican New Castle County Chairman. He is the owner of United Agent Services, a corporate services company headquartered in Newark.