Leader of top federal worker union calls for end of US government shutdown
The head of America’s largest federal labor union says it’s time to end terrorism government shutdownIt’s now the second-longest stretch in U.S. history, with hundreds of thousands of workers missing another round of paychecks.
Everett Kelley, who leads the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 800,000 workers, refrained from blaming either side in a letter Monday morning but said lawmakers should stop playing politics and pass a temporary funding measure to reopen the government, with the government shutdown now eclipsed by four weeks.
“Both political parties have made their case and there is still no clear outcome on the horizon,” Kelley wrote. in the statement. “I’m making mine today: It’s time to make a clean, ongoing decision and end this shutdown today. No half measures and no gamesmanship.” NBC News first reported letter.
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A “clean” continuing solution is a temporary spending bill that allows the government to operate at current funding levels without adding other political demands. Republicans say they are proposing this as part of their own measure, while Democrats argue the bill creates shortages of essential services and are using their power in the Senate to press for a deal on health insurance subsidies that expire at the end of the year.
Due to this stalemate, hundreds of thousands of federal and Washington DC government employees are either working without pay or being furloughed. The union represents workers at nearly every federal agency, from Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers and Army nurses to food safety inspectors and veterans affairs personnel, many of whom line up at food banks after missing their second paychecks, Kelley said.
“These are patriotic Americans—parents, caregivers, and veterans—who are forced to work without pay while trying to afford rent, food, gas, and medicine because of political disagreements in Washington,” Kelley said. “This is unacceptable.”
But the crisis goes beyond federal workers: Nearly 42 million Americans receive food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are in danger of losing their benefits as soon as Nov. 1 if the shutdown continues, after the U.S. agriculture department warned states it would run out of money to pay for the program.
Senate Democrats have blocked the Republican-backed follow-on resolution 12 times, demanding commitments to extend Affordable Care Act health subsidies. Three Democrats and one independent who caucus with the party broke ranks to support the measure, but fell short of the 60 members needed to advance. Republican senator Rand Paul was the only Republican who did not support the measure.
AFGE already The Trump administration was sued over mass layoffs during the shutdown and partisan emails sent from government accounts without employees’ knowledge.
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Kelley called for three immediate steps: reopening the government under an ongoing solution, providing full refunds to all affected workers, and resolving policy disputes through normal legislative debate rather than shutdown tactics.
“As the people who serve this country stand in food bank lines after missing their second paycheck due to this shutdown, they are not looking for a partisan game,” he said. “They are after the wages they have earned. It is a national shame that they have been cheated.”
The shutdown reached the one-month mark this week and no negotiations between the parties are planned.
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries he told CNN on Sunday. He said he and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer had requested a meeting Donald Trump He wanted to discuss the closure before leaving the country but was rebuffed. The president said he would meet with Democrats only after they vote to reopen the government.
“A strong America needs a functioning government that pays its bills, keeps its commitments, and treats its workforce with respect by paying it on time,” Kelley wrote. “Government belongs to all of us. Let’s reopen it and keep America moving forward.”
