Federal worker union wants government shutdown to end

The largest union representing federal workers on Monday called for Democrats in Congress to end the ongoing government shutdown by voting for the stopgap funding measure that Republicans have proposed.

“It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today,” Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, wrote.

“No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today,” said Kelley, whose union represents more than 800,000 federal and District of Columbia government workers.

“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,” Kelley said. “They’re looking for the wages they earned. The fact that they’re being cheated out of it is a national disgrace.”

The shutdown began on Oct. 1, and has led to about 900,000 federal workers being furloughed.

Senate Democrats have largely resisted voting for the clean resolution, which would fund the government through Nov. 21, saying they want any funding measure to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Those subsidies, which are due to expire at the end of 2025, lower the cost of Obamacare health insurance plans for more than 20 million Americans.

Republicans, in turn, say the fate of ACA tax credits should be addressed only after a funding resolution is passed.

At least 60 senators need to vote for such a measure because of the Senate’s filibuster rules. Republicans only hold 53 seats in that chamber.

In his statement, Kelley did not explicitly address the question of the ACA subsidies, but he seemed to refer to it, writing, “Reopen the government immediately under a clean continuing resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues.”

“Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight,” Kelley wrote. “Unfortunately, shutdowns have become a recurring tactic in Washington.”

“But there is no ‘winning’ a government shutdown. They cost taxpayers billions, hurt small businesses, and erode confidence in government itself,” he said.