The largest union representing federal workers is urging Congress to end the government shutdown immediately, calling it an "avoidable crisis" that has left hundreds of thousands of families in financial distress. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents around 820,000 federal and Washington, DC, government workers, issued a pointed statement on Monday, criticizing both parties for failing to resolve the impasse as the shutdown enters its fourth week, Politico reports. In a statement, AFGE President Everett Kelley said the time for political posturing has passed, and called for a "clean continuing resolution" to restore funding with no additional conditions.
"No half measures, and no gamesmanship," Kelley said. "Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay—today." He said lawmakers should focus on fixing problems instead of arguing over which side to blame. "Because when the folks who serve this country are standing in line for food banks after missing a second paycheck because of this shutdown, they aren't looking for partisan spin," he said. "They're looking for the wages they earned. The fact that they're being cheated out of it is a national disgrace."
The union has filed multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration, including over mass layoffs. Federal workers are expected to receive back pay once the government reopens, but the administration has questioned the legal basis for that guarantee. The Washington Post reports that according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, at least 670,000 federal workers have been furloughed and another 730,000 are working without pay. The union, which has members in almost every government agency, said it would support the House-passed stopgap funding resolution, which has failed 12 times in the Senate and expires Nov. 21, or a longer-term spending bill, NBC News reports.
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Sources tell Politico that bipartisan talks in the Senate over how to ensure both federal employees and active-duty military are paid continued Monday. A recent Republican-led proposal to pay only select workers failed, while Democrats are pushing for broader protections. "The national interest requires Congress to act immediately to bring every federal employee back to work, pay them for the work they've already done (or been locked out from doing), and continue having the debates and disagreements that are the hallmark of a strong democracy—without punishing the people who keep our nation running," Kelley said.
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