Largest Federal Worker Union Turns on Democrats Over Prolonged Shutdown

The largest federal workers’ union — long a Democratic stronghold — has broken ranks and demanded that Democrats end the government shutdown. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), representing over 800,000 workers, is publicly calling for a clean funding bill, signaling that the party’s political gambit has backfired as frustration mounts among its own base.

Key Points:

• The AFGE, historically aligned with Democrats, urged Congress to immediately reopen the government without political riders or partisan conditions.

• The shutdown, now entering its fourth week, has furloughed thousands and left many federal employees working without pay.

• The union accused lawmakers of using federal workers as political pawns, demanding “no half-measures, no gamesmanship.”

• The move represents a rare public rebuke from one of the Democrats’ most loyal allies.

• Analysts see the union’s statement as a warning sign that the shutdown strategy is collapsing politically, as pressure grows inside their own coalition.

• With public sentiment turning and workers feeling the pinch, Democrats now face intensifying calls to compromise and end the shutdown they once framed as a show of strength.