AFGE Urges Congress to Avoid Government Shutdown
September 18, 2023
AFGE is urging members of Congress not to repeat the same mistakes they made a few years ago.
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AFGE Urges Congress to Avoid Government Shutdown
September 18, 2023
Categories:
The Insider
The last time Congress shut down the government for 35 days in December 2018 and January 2019, nearly 800,000 federal workers were either required to work without pay or were furloughed from their jobs without pay. AFGE members struggled to pay bills and feed their families. They drove for ride shares, went to food banks, and were forced to take out loans that caused some employees years of hardship. They also stepped up to share what they had among themselves, like creating on-site food banks for struggling workers.
It’s completely unthinkable that they may have to go through this again because Congress has so far failed to do their job.
The last shutdown created a long-lasting financial hardship for working Americans while damaging our economy and creating security risks for our nation.
That’s why AFGE is urging members of Congress not to repeat the same mistakes they made a few years ago. They need to come together to either pass full-year funding or a clean short-term measure to keep our government running and protect our country and the services we provide to the American people.
“Shutting down the government is no way to run our country,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley. “We need Congress to do the right thing and pass funding to keep our government running.”
Some of the highlights of the damages done the last time Congress shut down our government:
- 420,000 federal employees were required to work without pay while another 350,000 were furloughed from their jobs without pay. Among those being forced to work without pay for 35 days were Transportation Security Officers, Coast Guard members, Bureau of Prisons employees, Veterans Affairs employees, and Border Patrol officers. These employees were unable to pay their bills or afford groceries for weeks.
- That shutdown cost the U.S. economy $11 billion – $3 billion of which was never recovered.
- National Park Service lost $400,000 a day from entrance fee revenue.
- The shutdown threatened national security as funding shortages interrupted the FBI’s work, including counterterrorism.
- The Department of Homeland Security’s new Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency was at risk as it was being operated under a skeleton crew. Security experts feared sophisticated hackers could infiltrate the network and use that as a launching pad to attack other federal networks.
- Environmental Protection Agency employees stayed home, not being able to do their jobs protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we live on. They could not inspect factories, power plants, and others to make sure there were no violations.
- The National Transportation Safety Board halted its investigations into accidents like plane crashes and train derailments due to furloughs.
- Consumers were at risk of contracting food-borne diseases as hundreds of inspectors were furloughed, causing the FDA to cut back food inspections. USDA meat and poultry inspectors were required to work without pay.
- Health services for Native Americans were put on hold.
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission halted the recall of potentially dangerous consumer products, leaving them on the market.
AFGE Launches Shutdown Page With Tools for Members, Local Leaders
AFGE is relaunching our shutdown page at afge.org/StopTheShutdown to provide facts, information, and actions members can take to help avoid a shutdown. The site includes talking points, a sample letter to the editor, sample media release, and other important information.
Tell Congress to Act NOW and Fund Our Government
Much is at stake for federal employees and the American public when it comes to funding our government. The missions of our agencies depend on full and consistent funding from Congress. The good news is, you can do something about it.
Visit afge.org/shutdown and urge your members of Congress to pass funding and stop the shutdown.
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