Top union leaders representing federal employees are urging both political parties to reach a bipartisan agreement to end the ongoing federal government shutdown.
As the stalemate drags on, thousands of federal workers are missing paychecks, 42 million Americans face the risk of losing food assistance, airport delays are spreading nationwide, and health care premiums are expected to rise.
“It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today — no half measures and no gamesmanship,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
According to BBC News, about 670,000 federal employees have been furloughed, while another 730,000 are working without pay, the Bipartisan Policy Center reported. An estimated 830,000 employees are continuing to work under modified pay arrangements.
Now entering Day 28, this marks the second-longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. The longest occurred during Donald Trump’s first term (2018–2019), when 380,000 employees were furloughed, costing the U.S. economy an estimated $5 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
