Government Shutdown Averted: AFGE President Everett Kelley Discusses the 45-Day Reprieve
The threat of a government shutdown has been temporarily alleviated by a 45-day stopgap funding bill recently passed by Congress.
A Collective Effort: AFGE’s Nationwide Advocacy
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) played a significant role in this legislative victory. According to an article published by AFGE on October 2, 2023, members sent nearly 11,000 letters and made almost 3,000 phone calls to Congress in recent weeks.
“We’ve been leading voices speaking out to stop this disastrous shutdown before it even started. And our activism worked,” Everett Kelley, the national president of AFGE, was quoted as saying.
The Media Outreach
AFGE members were quoted more than 2,700 times in various media outlets, including leading publications like the Associated Press and The Washington Post, the article stated.
“AFGE National Vice Presidents throughout our districts were leading voices in regional and local news,” according to the AFGE article.
The Human and Economic Costs
“A government shutdown would be a disaster for federal employees forced to go without a paycheck and for the American people we serve,” Kelley emphasized in the article.
The Road Ahead: Continuing Advocacy
While the 45-day stopgap is a step forward, the fight is far from over, the AFGE article cautioned.
“We need to keep up the pressure, so we don’t get into the same predicament in November,” the article advised.
With ongoing advocacy, AFGE, under the guidance of Everett Kelley, remains committed to the well-being of federal employees and the American people.
