Democrats appear to be unmoved by fresh demands from the largest federal employees’ union to reopen the government, a sign that the shutdown stalemate between lawmakers will continue as government workers increasingly feel the pain during the process.
It’s the latest example of how pressure points have not had the power to bring an end to the current shutdown, which is already the second longest in US history with no end in sight.
Over one million federal workers are going unpaid as the impasse drags on and some are turning to food pantries.
Democrats were quick to say they care about the plight of federal workers and what the union has to say.
“I had a conversation with the president of AFGE earlier, right after the shutdown, and that was their position then.
Republicans, on the other hand, have blamed Democrats for the consequences of the shutdown, arguing that all they have to do is provide the votes to reopen the government for the impasse to end.
Meanwhile, another major union, the National Treasury Employees Union, told CNN it did not have an update on their position following AFGE’s new letter but has been calling for a bipartisan agreement to end the government shutdown. »