The largest union for federal workers is urging an end to the ongoing government shutdown as it reaches day 27.
In a statement released on Monday, Everett Kelly, the National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), insisted that “the time has come” for Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government.
Kelly emphasized, “There are no half-measures, no gamesmanship. Let’s put all federal employees back to work, fully paid, now.”
AFGE represents over 800,000 employees across nearly every federal agency, with the largest groups in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and the Social Security Administration.
The union has taken legal action on behalf of workers affected by the shutdown, and, on October 3, filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education regarding automated responses from federal employees that blamed Congressional Democrats for the ongoing impasse.
Starting on October 1, the shutdown is now the second longest in U.S. history, trailing only the 35-day shutdown that occurred during President Trump’s first term.
As of last Friday, approximately 670,000 federal employees have been furloughed, while an additional 730,000 are working without pay, as noted by the Bipartisan Policy Center. Many got paid through September 30, but missed their paychecks last Friday.
Data from the Defense Manpower Data Center indicates there were over 1.34 million active-duty military personnel by the end of August. The Pentagon allocated $8 billion from previously designated funds to support service members on October 15, but that money is expected to run out by the end of the month.
Kelly remarked on the situation, stating that “patriotic Americans—including parents, caregivers, and veterans—are forced to work without pay, struggling to afford rent, groceries, gas, and medicine due to political disagreements in Washington. This is unacceptable.”
The House had previously approved a Republican-backed continuing resolution on September 19, which Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) described as “clean” and “nonpartisan.” Notably, Democratic Representative Jared Golden from Maine was the sole Democrat to support the bill.
However, the Senate rejected the funding proposal 12 times, gaining only limited Democratic backing. Democrats have sought a permanent extension of subsidies created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in their reopening bill, while Republicans desire to negotiate ACA credits once the shutdown concludes.
Calling attention to the ongoing political stalemate, Kelly urged Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution, ensure back pay for all federal employees, and address rising costs alongside a “broken” spending process.
“The national interest requires Congress to act immediately to bring all federal employees back to work, pay them for the work they’ve already done (or been locked out of), and continue necessary debates without punishing the individuals who keep our country running,” Kelly stated.
