AFSCME President Lee Saunders: Time to Permanently End Shutdown, Restore Vital Services Immediately

WASHINGTON — AFSCME President Lee Saunders issued the following statement in response to the announcement that a temporary agreement has been reached to reopen the federal government for three weeks until February 15:

“It is about time that the 800,000 federal government employees who serve our country get some relief from this unnecessary and harmful shutdown. The American people deserve a permanent solution now with all the vital services our communities rely on restored immediately. Anything less weakens our country and shows an unconscionable disregard for the livelihoods of dedicated public service workers and their families. We cannot allow a single divisive partisan demand to paralyze our entire country. This unprecedented brinkmanship must end.”