WASHINGTON (TNND) -- Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said that the government shutdown is holding veterans hostage due to the lapse in funding.
Collins visited a VA hospital in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. He said that lots of the issues the VA currently have could be solved if the government reopened.
"It's time for my friends across the aisle to vote to open the government," Collins said in a statement. "Quit holding my veterans hostage."
Roughly 30,000 VA employees are not getting paid due to the shutdown, even though many of them are working, according to Government Executive.
Collins said that veterans are missing out on lots of services the VA has to offer due to the shutdown.
The government is on day 23 of being shut down due to Congress failing to pass a budget to keep it funded.
The Senate has held a number votes to reopen the government and pass a continuing resolution, but it has failed multiple times.
It will take 60 votes to reopen the government and while the GOP has the majority, some Democrats need to cross over and vote with them.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he is trying to meet with President Donald Trump before he goes on a trip to Asia. Trump said that unless the government reopens, he wouldn't meet with the Democrats.
Multiple lawmakers have expressed concerns about healthcare subsidies and the expected price hiking of the Affordable Care Act and want a bipartisan solution.