Largest federal employee union demands Congress end shutdown
The stalemate has taken a financial toll on federal employees. Those under furlough cannot work and do not receive paycheques while the government is at a standstill. Others deemed “essential” employees must report to work while temporarily forgoing pay.
About 670,000 federal employees are furloughed, while about 730,000 are working without pay, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. About 830,000 employees are working with some form of pay.
Last Friday, many federal employees missed their first paycheque since the government shut down.
Hundreds lined up at a Washington, DC food bank that day to receive free boxes of dry goods, produce and household essentials.
“This upcoming month is going to be a struggle for us,” federal employee Josue Ortiz told the BBC. “Food is probably the biggest thing we spend money on.”
Donald Trump signed a law in 2019 stipulating that federal employees received back pay for a shutdown that began the previous year, and the AFGE says federal employees are legally entitled to backpay for this shutdown as well.
But the Trump administration has insinuated employees may not receive backpay this time.
“These 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,” Mr Kelley wrote. “That is unacceptable.”
The AFGE, which represents over 800,000 workers, argued passing a clean funding bill would buy time for future debate, guarantee back pay for employees, address cost of living issues and reform the appropriations process.
The shutdown began after midnight on 1 October after Democrats and Republicans reached an impasse over extending subsidies for Affordable Care Act health insurance plans, which are used by millions of Americans.
Some branches of the government, like the federal courts, utilised reserve funds in order to pay employees as the shutdown continued.
The Trump administration has worked to find funding to pay some branches of the government. In mid-October, Trump ordered the Pentagon to shift $8bn in order to pay military troops.
On Saturday, the White House announced a $130m (£100m) donation from an unnamed donor to pay US troops during the shutdown. The New York Times reported that Timothy Mellon, a billionaire and supporter of Trump, provided the funds.
Democrats have critised Trump for not utilising reserve funds to prop up the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), used by about 40 million low income Americans and families to pay for groceries. The US Department of Agriculture has said the benefits will not be distributed in November due to the shutdown.
“This is perhaps the most cruel and unlawful offence the Trump administration has perpetrated yet,” Democratic Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro and Angie Craig said in a statement on Friday.
Meiying Wu, Madeline Gerber and Kwasi Asiedu contributed to this report.