For Immediate Release

Contact: Nick Voutsinos
Email: nvoutsinos@afscme.org

AFSCME’s Saunders: Congressional extremists must ‘stop using our lives as bargaining chips’ and keep the government open

AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement as Congressional extremists threaten a government shutdown:

“Despite shaking hands on a bipartisan budget agreement just a few months ago, anti-worker politicians in Congress are now going back on their word. They are demanding drastic cuts to the essential programs millions of families need to survive – food, housing, education and more. And to get their way, they are using the threat of a government shutdown, which would jeopardize the livelihood of front-line federal employees as well as their families, while pausing lifesaving programs for millions of people nationwide. All this to appease their corporate mega-donors, who care about little else besides receiving massive tax cuts.

 

“Extremists in Congress need to stop using our lives as bargaining chips. It’s time for them to follow through on the promises they have already made to keep the government open.”

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AFSCME’s 1.4 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations — from nurses to corrections officers, childcare providers to sanitation workers — AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and freedom and opportunity for all working families. 

AFSCME’s 1.4 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations — from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers — AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and freedom and opportunity for all working families.

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American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
1625 L Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-5687
Telephone: (202) 429-1145
Fax: (202) 429-1120

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