The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is calling on Democrats to pass a clean Continuing Resolution (CR) and reopen the government. Will Democrats listen?
🚨Big news from @NBCNews: American Federation of Government Employees says it’s time to pass a clean CR and open the government.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 27, 2025
AFGE says both sides have made their point. But Democrats have said they’re not trying to make a point they want to enact change
(Reposted due to…
The AFGE is the largest non-postal workers' union for federal employees, including many in Washington, D.C. It is tied to the AFL-CIO and represents over 800,000 workers.
“Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight,” American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley wrote in a statement first shared with NBC News. “It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship.”
The statement could increase pressure on Democrats to budge from their current stance. Senate Democrats have insisted that they won’t vote to reopen the government without a commitment from Republicans and President Donald Trump on extending health care subsidies through the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Without them, health insurance premiums on Obamacare markets will skyrocket for many individuals and families.
“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,” Kelley said, stressing there should be a “resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues” like growing costs and a dysfunctional federal funding process in Congress.
The Schumer Shutdown began on October 1 after all but three Democrats voted against a clean CR that would have kept funding at current government levels.
Democrats insist the hang-up comes over Obamacare subsidies, but the reality is Dems are demanding a slew of new spending, including $1.5 trillion to cover "free" healthcare for illegal immigrants, LGBTQ and climate change initiatives in foreign countries, and re-funding PBS/NPR.
Republicans have held firm on the issue thus far and said negotiations on things can take place after the CR is passed.
Byron York of the Washington Examiner wrote on X, "Wow. Huge development. The union is 'urging Democrats to abandon their current position and join Republicans in supporting a stopgap solution.'"
Speaking to NBC News, AFGE President Everett Kelley added, "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. They’re looking for the wages they earned. The fact that they’re being cheated out of it is a national disgrace."
Late last week, Senate Democrats blocked a measure put forth by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) that would have paid some government employees during the shutdown. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) explained that Democrats voted against it because they'd rather have everyone suffer than just some suffer, saying, "Our belief is that no federal employee, no one should bear the burden or be punished for a shutdown they have nothing to do with. So our view is that we want to make sure everybody gets paid at the end of the day."
That tracks with the Democratic Party's position on the issue, as House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) said in an interview, "Of course, there will be families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously, but it is one of the few leverage times we have."
The AFGE's call to end the shutdown could give Democrats political cover to vote for the CR and reopen the government. Whether they'll take this off-ramp or not remains to be seen.
The Senate returns to work today. According to the Senate Democrats' webpage, it doesn't appear that a vote on the CR is on the agenda as of right now.