NAGE Statement on the Ongoing Government Shutdown- Day 24

The National Association of Government Employees (NAGE/SEIU) stands with every federal

worker and contractor enduring the devastating impact of this shutdown, now stretching into its

24th day. What began as a political standoff has become a full-blown crisis for working families

across the nation.

Federal employees are being forced to shoulder an unbearable burden.

• No pay for 24 days and counting. Many have already missed their first full paycheck.

• Threats of no backpay. The administration has questioned whether furloughed workers

  will receive retroactive pay, in direct violation of the Government Employee Fair

• Treatment Act of 2019, which guarantees full back pay to all furloughed federal

  employees once government funding is restored.

• The looming threat of RIFs. Even as workers wait to learn if they will be paid, agencies

  are moving forward with reductions in force, creating fear and uncertainty about job

  security.

• Rising costs of living. Healthcare premiums, rent, mortgage rates, groceries, and utilities

  have all climbed, yet thousands of public servants are left without income to support their

  families.

• Cuts to essential benefits. SNAP benefits are expected to be reduced in November, even

  as federal workers are being told they may need to apply for those same benefits just to

  get by.

This is not just about missed paychecks. It is about broken promises. You cannot claim to value

public service while refusing to pay public servants. Anything less than fair pay and job

security is a violation of trust and decency.

NAGE demands immediate action:

1. Reopen the government now. End this shutdown before more families face financial

   collapse.

2. Guarantee full backpay for all affected federal employees and contractors, as required

   under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019.

3. Protect affordable healthcare for all Americans by upholding and strengthening laws

   that ensure access to quality, affordable coverage for every family.

4. Halt all RIF actions until the government is fully operational and stability is restored.

5. Protect federal workers from being forced to apply for benefits simply to survive.

Our members are dedicated public servants, military families, nurses, and patient care

technicians at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Department of Defense (DoD). They are the individuals who protect our nation, care for

our veterans, support our service members, and uphold the daily functions of government. They

deserve respect, stability, and pay for the critical work they perform on behalf of the American

people.

NAGE will not stand by idly while our members are threatened, underpaid, or cast aside. We

will continue to fight in the courts, in Congress, and in every agency to ensure that every worker

receives the dignity, pay, affordable healthcare, and job security they deserve.