Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2025
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by Alan Jamison
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The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union published an open letter on Monday calling on Senate Democrats to pass a “clean continuing resolution” and end the government shutdown. The news is a major blow to Democrats and shows that cracks are beginning to emerge in the liberal party’s base of support as the shutdown drags on.
The AFGE represents more than 800,000 federal workers and notably endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. In its letter, AFGE President Everett Kelley called on Congress to “reopen the government immediately under a clean resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues.” Kelley added that members of Congress should “ensure back pay for every single employee who has served or been forced to stay at home” and should “work together on a bipartisan basis to address important policy matters like addressing rising costs.”
Late last month, just before government funding expired, House Republicans passed a continuing resolution to keep the government open at current spending levels – which date back to the Biden administration. Senate Democrats had previously voted for those spending levels no less than 13 times, but have now blocked the continuing resolution 12 times since the government shut down. Senate rules require at least 60 votes to pass most legislation, including funding bills.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is demanding that Republicans agree to roll back major provisions of their One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) passed earlier this year and sign off on a permanent extension of “temporary” COVID-era expanded Obamacare subsidies as a price for reopening the government. This marks a major break from Senate precedent and would effectively amount to nullifying the results of last November’s elections, where Republicans retook control of the Senate.
The expanded Obamacare subsidies would cost a staggering $400 billion over the next decade alone. Democrats’ full list of demands would cost taxpayers more than $1 trillion.
Democrats continue to believe that they hold the edge in the public relations battle. But as the shutdown nears a full calendar month, groups normally friendly to them, like AFGE, are beginning to break. “It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today,” Everett said in his letter. “No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today.”
Tuesday marks 28 days that the government has remained shut down without funding – now the second-longest shutdown in history. The stakes to reopen the government will increase with funding running out for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that provides 42 million Americans in need with assistance purchasing groceries on November 1. Air traffic controllers are also slated to miss their first paycheck this week, potentially wreaking havoc on air travel.
House Speaker Mike Johnson shared a post on Monday explaining how the shutdown also negatively impacts small businesses. A total of $4.5 billion in small business loans have been blocked over the course of the shutdown.
“While Chuck Schumer brags that ‘every day gets better’ for his party politically, every day is getting decidedly harder for small businesses and hard-working Americans across the country,” Johnson said.
Senator Mike Lee of Utah shared a poll on Monday calling for Democrats to end the shutdown. He stated that the “Schumer Shutdown is a hostage crisis” and that “Americans deserve better than this circus.” X users could vote in the poll to determine who is responsible for the shutdown, with options being “Democrats,” “Republicans,” or “The White House Ballroom.” An overwhelming 93 percent of voters in the poll chose Democrats.
Alan Jamison is the pen name of a political writer with extensive experience writing for several notable politicians and news outlets.
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