The nation’s largest federal workers’ union has just spelled doom for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) by demanding an end to the Democrat-led government shutdown.
The development marks a significant setback for Democrats as pressure mounts to reopen federal agencies.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents roughly 800,000 federal workers, has now urged the Senate to pass a “clean” continuing resolution (CR).
This position aligns closely with Republicans who have pushed the same solution since the start of the shutdown.
In a statement, AFGE National President Everett Kelley said:
“It’s time for our leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people, rather than on who is going to get the blame for a shutdown that Americans dislike.”
He called the shutdown “an avoidable crisis that is harming families, communities, and the very institutions that hold our country together.”
While Kelley avoided assigning blame to either party, his call for a “clean CR” was viewed on Capitol Hill as a rebuke of Democrat leadership.
Democrat leaders have resisted the Republican-led measure passed by the House nearly a month ago.
Union Pressure Lands on Senate Democrats
About 1.4 million federal workers missed paychecks last week, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
Johnson has renewed his call for the Senate to act on the House’s funding measure.
“The Army nurse in San Antonio, the TSA officer in Atlanta, the USDA food safety inspector in Iowa, and hundreds of thousands more like them are being asked to keep our country running without the paychecks that keep their own households afloat,” Kelley said.
Kelly added that federal employees 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.”
The call from AFGE has dealt a massive blow to Schumer’s agenda as Democrats are now beginning to waver.
Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) acknowledged the union’s influence, telling Semafor reporter Burgess Everett that AFGE’s intervention “has a lot of impact.”
“It’s something we will be discussing this week,” Durbin said.
“They’re our friends. We take them seriously.”
However, Schumer declined to comment when asked about the statement by Bloomberg reporter Erik Wasson.
Wasson asserts that Schumer’s silence is a sign that party leaders are still weighing how to respond to pressure from a traditionally Democrat-aligned union.
Republicans Welcome the Shift
The House Freedom Caucus applauded AFGE’s statement, calling it evidence that Democrats’ position has become untenable.
“It’s a bad day for Chuck Schumer when even the AFGE — a union that routinely endorses and supports Democrats — sees how bizarre the Democrats’ position is,” the caucus wrote on X.
It’s a bad day for Chuck Schumer when even the AFGE…a union that routinely endorses and supports Democrats…sees how bizarre the Democrats’ position is.https://t.co/R1QX9nRC4n
— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) October 27, 2025
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) said in a statement that the union was “rightly calling Democrats out on their political games.”
“Lawmakers are sent to Washington to govern, but Democrats seem to think their job is to obstruct the agenda of the President of the United States and to jeopardize the livelihoods of the American people,” Emmer said.
“Americans on both sides of the aisle are seeing right through the Democrats’ lies, and they will be held accountable for their hostage tactics.”
Fetterman and Other Democrats Break Ranks
A handful of Democrats have also expressed support for reopening the government. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) wrote on X that AFGE is “firmly on the right side of this and we should absolutely listen.”
“Our servicemembers, federal workers, and Capitol Police are hurting,” Fetterman said.
“It’s one of many reasons why I’ve continuously voted to open our government.
“We need to end this chaos.”
Fetterman, along with Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Angus King (I-ME), previously voted in favor of the House-passed resolution to reopen the government.
SNAP Deadline Adds Pressure
The debate comes ahead of the November 1 expiration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which currently support more than 42 million Americans.
The SNAP website itself cites Democrats for the ongoing funding lapse, stating, “Bottom line, the well has run dry.”
Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) are reportedly in talks to craft a bipartisan measure that would pay “certain” federal workers during the shutdown, Punchbowl News reported.
Johnson’s office confirmed Monday night that the discussions were “ongoing.”
Political Fallout Mounts
On the Senate floor, Schumer accused the Trump administration of “making an intentional choice not to fund SNAP this weekend,” arguing that the administration could have reallocated funds.
“The emergency funding is there — the administration is just choosing not to use it,” Schumer said.
“If the administration can cough up $40 billion for Argentina, they can find money for SNAP by this Saturday.”
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said that if five Democrats crossed the aisle, the Senate could vote to reopen the government “this week.”
“There will be another opportunity to vote to reopen in the coming days,” Thune said.
As the shutdown stretches into another week, the AFGE’s unexpected alignment with Republicans adds new urgency and political complications for Senate Democrats.
Democrats now face pressure from both their base and the federal workforce they’ve long counted as allies.
READ MORE – Anonymous Trump Donor Gives $130 Million to Pay Troops During Democrat Shutdown
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