The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union of federal employees, has demanded an end to the ongoing government shutdown.
This marks the first time a powerful, Democratic-led group has vocally announced a desire to end the government shutdown, dealing a major blow to Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as the funding fight drags on.
AFGE, which represents 800,000 federal workers, urged the Senate yesterday to approve a “clean” continuing resolution to end the shutdown.
The AFGE is historically known usually a dependable Democratic ally and all but endorsed Republicans’ plans to end the shutdown in a statement.
“It’s time for our leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people, rather than on who is going to get the blame for a shutdown that Americans dislike,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said, calling the shutdown “an avoidable crisis that is harming families, communities, and the very institutions that hold our country together.”
“The Army nurse in San Antonio, the TSA officer in Atlanta, the USDA food safety inspector in Iowa, and hundreds of thousands more like them are being asked to keep our country running without the paychecks that keep their own households afloat,” Kelley said.
Kelley said the workers are “patriotic Americans – parents, caregivers, and veterans – forced to work without pay while struggling to cover rent, groceries, gas and medicine because of political disagreements in Washington. That is unacceptable.”
While Kelley did not directly name or call out members of either party, top Democrats are concerned that the boisterous statement from AFGE could have a major impact on the party’s ability to continue on with the shutdown.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said AFGE calling for an end to the shutdown “has a lot of impact,” Semafor’s Burgess Everett reported on X.
“It’s something we will be discussing this week,” Durbin told the outlet.
“I’m not announcing any change in my position at this time. They’re our friends. We take them seriously.”
Republicans have responded in kind, including the House Freedom Caucus, which weighed in Monday on X, responding to an NBC report on the union’s stance… and Schumer’s lack of candor in the ongoing shutdown.
“It’s a bad day for Chuck Schumer when even the AFGE…a union that routinely endorses and supports Democrats…sees how bizarre the Democrats’ position is,” the caucus wrote on X.
It’s a bad day for Chuck Schumer when even the AFGE…a union that routinely endorses and supports Democrats…sees how bizarre the Democrats’ position is.https://t.co/R1QX9nRC4n
— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) October 27, 2025
Other lawmakers have also spoken out about AFGE’s powerful statement.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) told The Daily Wire that AFGE is “rightly calling Democrats out on their political games, and hopefully Senate Democrats will listen.”
“Lawmakers are sent to Washington to govern, but Democrats seem to think their job is to obstruct the agenda of the President of the United States and to jeopardize the livelihoods of the American people,” Emmer said.
Emmer said Americans on “both sides of the aisle are seeing right through the Democrats’ lies and they will be held accountable for their hostage tactics.”
Democrat Sen. John Fetterman (PA) said on X that AFGE is “firmly on the right side of this and we should absolutely listen.”
“Our servicemembers, federal workers, and Capitol Police are hurting. It’s one of many reasons why I’ve continuously voted to open our government. We need to end this chaos,” Fetterman said.
.@AFGENational is firmly on the right side of this and we should absolutely listen.
Our servicemembers, federal workers, and Capitol Police are hurting.
It’s one of many reasons why I’ve continuously voted to open our government.
We need to end this chaos. pic.twitter.com/5zfqj9YeB1
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) October 27, 2025
Fetterman is one of a handful of Democrats who have sided with Republicans on the House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government, as did Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Angus King (I-ME).
The ongoing government shutdown has loomed large this week, with many politicians have highlighted the looming November 1 expiration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, which will affect more than 42 million people.
Bloomberg News reporter Erik Wasson reportedly asked Schumer about the union’s statement, but Schumer declined to comment at the time of publication.