Originally by Everett Kelley, AFGE National President
Shared by AFGE Local 1061 at Greater Los Angeles
October 27, 2025 | The Insider
As this unnecessary and harmful government shutdown stretches into its fourth week, AFGE Local 1061 at Greater Los Angeles stands firmly with the message from our AFGE National President, Everett Kelley:
It’s past time to end this shutdown — reopen the government, pay every worker, and get America moving again.
We are sharing President Kelley’s words in full so every bargaining unit employee, VA healthcare worker, and federal public servant can understand exactly what’s at stake — and why our collective voice matters now more than ever.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley: “End This Shutdown Today”
For four long weeks, our nation has endured a completely avoidable government shutdown — one that is hurting working families, veterans, small businesses, and the very institutions that hold our country together. Both political parties have made their points. Still, there’s no clear end in sight.
Let me make mine plain:
It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today.
No half measures. No gamesmanship. Every single federal worker deserves to be back on the job — with full back pay — today.
The Workers Who Keep America Running
As president of the American Federation of Government Employees, I represent more than 800,000 federal and D.C. government workers who serve with pride and professionalism.
They’re the ones who:
- Keep our skies safe,
- Ensure our veterans receive care,
- Protect our borders, and
- Inspect our food.
They come from every background and every political view. What unites them is a shared belief — that service to country is honorable work.
Today, that belief is being tested.
From an Army nurse in San Antonio, to a TSA officer in Atlanta, to a USDA food inspector in Iowa — hundreds of thousands of federal workers are being asked to keep America running without a paycheck.
The Human Cost of Political Games
These are patriotic Americans — parents, caregivers, and veterans — now facing impossible choices between rent, groceries, gas, and medicine.
They are being forced to bear the burden of a political fight they did not start.
Shutdowns don’t make our nation stronger. They cost taxpayers billions, shutter small businesses, delay paychecks, and erode confidence in government itself.
And the American people know it. Nine out of ten Americans agree this shutdown is a problem. They don’t care about partisan spin — they care about fairness and stability.
“When the folks who serve this country are standing in line for food banks after missing a second paycheck, they aren’t looking for politics. They’re looking for the wages they earned.”
A Responsible Path Forward
It’s long past time to put aside partisan politics and embrace responsible government. A strong America requires a functioning government — one that pays its bills, honors its commitments, and respects its workforce.
The path forward for Congress is clear:
- Reopen the government immediately under a clean continuing resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues.
- Guarantee back pay for every employee affected by the shutdown.
- Work together — in a bipartisan way — to tackle bigger challenges like rising costs and a broken appropriations process.
These aren’t partisan demands. They’re common-sense expectations shared by the American people.
It’s Time to Lead
The national interest demands action. Congress must bring every federal worker back to work, pay them for the jobs they’ve done (or were prevented from doing), and then continue the debates that make democracy strong — without punishing the people who make it run.
Because the truth is simple: The government belongs to all of us.
Let’s open it back up — and keep America moving forward.
📖 Read the full AFGE National Statement:
It’s Past Time to End This Shutdown (AFGE.org)
✊ Shared by
AFGE Local 1061 at Greater Los Angeles
Representing VA healthcare professionals and federal employees across Greater Los Angeles who continue serving veterans and communities — even through political uncertainty.
We stand with every AFGE member demanding respect, fair pay, and an end to the shutdown.
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