‘Do your job’: Sears challenges Dems to finish shutdown, Spanberger factors to Trump

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Throughout a very heated alternate throughout Thursday evening’s Virginia gubernatorial debate, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears challenged her opponent to ship a pointed message to the state’s two Democratic senators — "Do your job" — and vote to finish the federal government shutdown.

Earle-Sears knocked her opponent, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, for not doing extra to induce the state’s two Democratic senators, Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, to finish the shutdown, which has impacted a whole bunch of hundreds of federal staff and army service members residing in Virginia.

"My opponent all summer time lengthy has been enjoying political soccer with federal staff by attempting to say that she loves them greater than anybody else. Effectively, let me inform you what love appears to be like like. It appears to be like like Abigail calling Senators Kaine and Warner and telling them, ‘Return, do your job, and vote towards a authorities shutdown,’" mentioned Earle-Sears.

"We solely want eight Democratic senators, that is all we'd like, and we can't discover eight. And but we are able to discover two in Virginia. When are you going to publicly say to Senators Kaine and Warner, ‘Go and do your job and preserve federal staff working?" Earle-Sears went on.

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Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Rep. Abigail Spanberger confronted off in a gubernatorial debate on Thursday evening. (Pool / Getty Photographs)

"That is the best way you cease the shutdown, as a result of proper now they're having to work, and particularly our army, with none pay," she mentioned. "I am a United States Marine veteran, and it's positively onerous, particularly within the enlisted ranks, to work with out pay."

She added, "You are able to do one thing about that. You are the one who's been speaking about all that love. Effectively, present love, preserve them of their jobs."

Spanberger, in the meantime, mentioned, "Everybody from Virginia, probably the most impacted state in a time of shutdown as our communities are struggling after months of DOGE assaults on our federal workforce, everybody in Virginia needs to be coming collectively and urging the president to re-enter negotiations."

She accused Earle-Sears of getting "not stood up for Virginia staff" as lieutenant governor, particularly throughout the Trump administration’s DOGE cuts.

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Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears speaks to the group throughout a rally held to announce she's going to search her social gathering's nomination for Virginia governor in 2025 at Chick's Oyster Bar in Virginia Seashore, Virginia, Sept. 5, 2024. (Kristen Zeis/The Washington Put up by way of Getty Photographs)

"At this second, when Virginia's federal workforce and contract staff and communities throughout the Commonwealth are struggling due to this authorities shutdown, it's only growing the problem that they're dealing with after months and months of the assaults from this White Home underneath DOGE," mentioned Spanberger.

"The whole thing of that point," she went on, "my opponent has made gentle of federal staff dropping their jobs, saying it isn't a giant deal and that everybody loses their jobs."

Pressed on whether or not she would urge Kaine and Warner to vote to finish the shutdown, Spanberger mentioned, "I'd encourage everybody, our Democratic senators, our Democratic Home members, our Republican Home members to work collectively and drive an effort to return again to the desk."

In response as to whether she would ask President Donald Trump to work on a compromise to finish the shutdown, Earle-Sears answered, "The president has already mentioned that he would do this."

WINSOME EARLE-SEARS REBUKES SPANBERGER PLAN TO UNDO VIRGINIA’S ICE PACT: ‘THIS IS NOT HARD’

Abigail Spanberger, Virginia Democratic Get together nominee for governor, addresses the group throughout an occasion in assist of her run for workplace on the Japanese Henrico Recreation Heart in Richmond, Virginia, on April 8, 2025. (Max Posner/The Washington Put up/Getty Photographs)

"However you realize, earlier than something will get to the president, it is within the Senate proper now. The Home Republicans have voted, and it is within the Senate. And all we'd like for it to get to the president so the shutdown stops is eight Senate Democrats. That is simply it, eight Senate Democrats. And we can't discover any as a result of they're enjoying political soccer, as you have got been, Abigail, all this time," she mentioned.

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"Love is a verb. It is a present me. It is a doing. Love shouldn't be a shutdown," she went on. "When are you going to ask Senator Kaine and Warner to please preserve federal staff working?"