The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the nation’s largest union representing over 80,000 federal and Washington state workers, is demanding an immediate end to the government shutdown as it enters its fourth week. In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, AFGE President Everett Kelley criticized both the Democratic and Republican parties for prolonging the crisis, calling the shutdown an ‘avoidable crisis’ that is harming American families and workers across the country.
Kelley, in a letter addressing Congress, emphasized that the situation is not only causing financial hardship for federal workers but also undermining public trust in the government. ‘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 several lawsuits against the Trump administration, including challenges over mass layoffs during the shutdown.
The Senate recently rejected a Republican-led proposal to provide pay for active-duty military personnel and certain federal workers during the shutdown. Democrats have supported a separate proposal that would pay all federal workers during the shutdown and prohibit the Trump administration from firing workers during the shutdown. However, the Senate vote has been stalled, with no clear path to resolution in sight.
Kelley reiterated that the current situation of unpaid federal workers is unacceptable and urged Congress to take immediate action. ‘It’s time for our leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people, rather than on who is going to get the blame for a shutdown that Americans dislike,’ he said. With the shutdown nearing its fourth week and no clear resolution forthcoming, AFGE is calling on lawmakers to take a firm stance and prioritize the needs of the American people over political considerations.