Largest federal union demands Dems pass clean CR to end gov shutdown, get workers paid

The largest federal workers union has called for an end to the government shutdown as it enters its fourth week. The call from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) said on Monday that there is "no clear end in sight" and demanded that a clean continuing resolution (CR) be passed, something that most Senate Democrats have opposed since the start of the shutdown.

A statement was pushed out on Monday by the AFGE president, Everett Kelley, which read, "This week, Congress pushed our nation into the fourth week of a full government shutdown – an avoidable crisis that is harming families, communities, and the very institutions that hold our country together. Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight. 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.” A “clean” CR will fund the government at current levels as it was before the shutdown.

"As president of the American Federation of Government Employees, I represent over 800,000 federal and DC government workers who serve with pride and professionalism. They ensure our skies are safe, our veterans receive care, our borders are protected, and our food is inspected. They come from every political background and every corner of this nation. What unites them is a simple belief: that service to country is honorable work," Kelley added in the statement.

Although the AFGE president did not call out Democrats specifically, Senate Democrats have been opposed to passing a clean CR since the beginning of the shutdown and have instead proposed their own CR with other policy provisions, including some that will increase the federal funding going to cover the healthcare expenses of illegal immigrants in the country.

The path forward for Congress, Kelley said, is to "reopen the government immediately under a clean continuing resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues" as well as "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," the union president added.

Last week, Democrats in the Senate also voted against paying those employees in the federal government who are required to work without pay when the government shuts down, including military members as well as air traffic controllers.