The Left’s list of friends is growing thin. There’s no telling what this could mean for the party.
And now Democrats were boxed into a corner by one group they thought were their allies.
Union’s Urgent Plea: End Shutdown to Save Workers’ Paychecks
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the powerhouse union representing 820,000 federal and D.C. workers, unleashed a rare public rebuke of Senate Democrats on October 27, 2025, demanding an immediate end to the government shutdown—now dragging into its fifth grueling week. AFGE President Everett Kelley didn’t mince words, calling the crisis a “completely avoidable mess” and urging Democrats to drop their partisan demands and pass a short-term funding bill to get America’s workers back on the job.
“Both sides have had their say, but enough is enough,” Kelley said, his frustration palpable. “Put every single federal worker back to work with full back pay—today.”
This sharp break from the union’s usual alignment with Democrats is a wake-up call, piling pressure on Senate Democrats to stop blocking a Republican-backed stopgap bill. For families of furloughed workers—many now scraping by without their first full paycheck—the standoff feels less like politics and more like a betrayal of the people keeping the nation running.
Democrats’ Standoff Blocks Relief as Workers Suffer
At the heart of the deadlock is a House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through November 21, shot down 12 times by Senate Democrats. They’re holding firm, refusing to budge unless the bill includes extensions for COVID-era Obamacare subsidies and other progressive priorities—demands Republicans argue should wait until the government is back up and running. The AFGE, siding with pragmatism, is pushing Democrats to accept the GOP’s offer: reopen now, negotiate later, no strings attached.
The human toll is mounting. Federal employees—from TSA agents to air traffic controllers—are working without pay or sidelined entirely, with some turning to food banks to feed their families.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has sounded alarms that SNAP benefits, critical for millions of low-income Americans, could dry up by November 1 if the stalemate continues. At least 25 states have already warned recipients to brace for disruptions—a gut punch to communities already stretched thin.
“When the folks who serve this country are lining up at food banks after missing a second paycheck, they don’t want spin—they want their hard-earned wages,” Kelley said, his voice heavy with indignation. “It’s a national disgrace that they’re being shortchanged like this.”
The AFGE’s exasperation isn’t new; the union has tangled with the Trump administration before, filing lawsuits over furlough threats and forced partisan rhetoric at agencies like the Department of Education. But this time, their ire is aimed squarely at Democrats, exposing a rift that underscores the shutdown’s dire stakes.
GOP Seizes Moment as Workers Bear the Brunt
The fallout is stark: Military families are leaning on charity, air travel faces delays at hubs like Atlanta and Denver due to staffing shortages, and essential services are teetering. For everyday Americans, the shutdown—now on Day 27—is a stark reminder of what happens when politics overshadows people. With President Trump abroad in Asia until Thursday, the spotlight is on Senate Democrats to act before more harm ripples across the nation.
Republicans aren’t letting the moment pass. The National Republican Congressional Committee pounced on the union’s call, framing it as proof of Democratic overreach.
“When even the workers Democrats claim to champion are begging them to end this shutdown, it says it all,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said with a pointed edge. “They’ve turned a political tantrum into a crisis holding American workers hostage.”
As the clock ticks toward November, the nation waits for Senate Democrats to decide whether to keep fighting for policy wins or to put America’s workers first. For now, the people who keep the country moving—civil servants, military families, and those relying on federal aid—are left hoping for relief that’s long overdue.
