The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is apparently fed up with the ongoing government shutdown, so much so that the union is now calling for Congress to pass a continuing resolution to bring an immediate end to the shutdown.
“Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley wrote in a blog post.
“Today I’m making mine: it’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today.”
When the shutdown first began, the union criticized the shutdown and called on Congress to end it, albeit without specifics for how to do so.
“Congress must stop playing politics with the livelihoods of federal workers and the communities they serve, end this shutdown immediately, and stop holding workers hostage,” read an AFGE press release issued on October 1, 2025, the first day of the partial government shutdown.
Now that AFGE is demanding a continuing resolution, it puts the union in unusual territory: being in agreement with a majority of Republicans.
According to NBC News, “The House-passed continuing resolution, which has failed 12 times in the Senate so far, would expire on Nov. 21. The group [AFGE] says it would support either that resolution or one that would fund the government for a longer period.”
Kelley wrote:
The path forward for Congress is clear:
Reopen the government immediately under a clean continuing resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues.
Ensure back pay for every single employee who has served or been forced to stay home through no fault of their own.
Work together on a bipartisan basis to address important policy matters like addressing rising costs and fixing the broken appropriations process.
None of these steps favor one political side over another. They favor the American people – who expect stability from their government and responsibility from their leaders.
AFGE also added that it is “unacceptable” that federal employees are having to go without pay for so long as the shutdown drags on. The majority of federal employees missed their first full paycheck last week, and with media reports discussing that some are turning to food banks for assistance, it has apparently exhausted AFGE’s patience with lawmakers.
“…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,” wrote Kelley.
He also sent a letter to Senators urging them to support a bill in the House (H.R. 5371) which is a continuing resolution to fund the government until mid-November. It was introduced back in September by Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK) and has failed to advance in the Senate 12 different times.
The reports of the financial pain being inflicted on both federal employees and members of the military as both wonder when they will get paid is not a good look for either Democrats or Republicans. Both parties have shown signs that they are gradually beginning to make more concessions as the political pressure mounts the longer the shutdown continues. The real question is, who will blink first?
