Federal Workers Union Calls On Democrats To Support GOP Bill And End Shutdown

Authored  by Arjun Singh via The Epoch Times,

A labor union representing U.S. government employees has called on Democrats in Congress to support a GOP-backed funding bill that would end the government shutdown.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), a union representing 820,000 employees, published a demand from its president, Everett Kelley, on its website on Oct. 27.

Kelley called on leaders of Congress to “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 of the shutdown, which appears to be based on a disagreement between Democrats and Republicans on reauthorizing Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) health insurance subsidies.

“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.”

Until now, Democratic-aligned groups such as unions had mostly backed the party’s congressional leadership in opposing a “clean continuing resolution” offered by Senate and House Republicans.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)—who leads the Senate Democratic Caucus, members of which need to support the bill for it to pass—has refused to support the resolution in its current form.

Schumer has said that any bill to fund the government must extend tax credits to reduce health insurance premiums that were first enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

The law has frequently been a cause célèbre in U.S. politics since its enactment; President Donald Trump vowed to “repeal and replace” Obamacare as a chief campaign promise of his first term, although the law remains in force today.

The defense of Obamacare has frequently been raised by Democratic Party elected officials as a reason for opposition to Republican initiatives.

In 2020, then-Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court was opposed by Democrats primarily to defend Obamacare, as they suggested that Barrett would vote to undermine its legality.

Barrett was ultimately appointed to the court.

“Even AFGE—a government union that overwhelmingly donates to Democrats—wants them to end their government shutdown,” the Republican National Committee wrote on social media.

Schumer’s office did not respond to a request for comment.