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Washington, D.C. — Operating the federal government and serving taxpayers is the most basic duty of our nation’s elected officials, not something to be imperiled by political brinksmanship, said Tony Reardon, National President of the National Treasury Employees Union.

“Government shutdowns have repeatedly proven to be an economic debacle for the country, so it’s frustrating that yet another one is possible this Friday night,” Reardon said. “Congress and the administration have plenty of ways to iron out their differences that don’t harm innocent federal employees.”

NTEU is urging those on Capitol Hill and in the White House to settle on a long-term spending deal that provides adequate funding for agencies and allows federal employees to do the work that taxpayers deserve and expect: protecting the border, inspecting food and medicine, catching tax scofflaws, monitoring nuclear power plants, preventing air and water pollution and maintaining our national parks.

“It’s ironic that people who say they want to ‘fix’ Washington are focused on hiring freezes, layoffs and budget cuts, when they can’t even pass a regular budget bill that keeps the lights on,” Reardon said. “Non-partisan federal employees are not what is broken about Washington. They are civil servants dedicated to carrying out the missions of their agencies and they shouldn’t be treated as pawns.”

History has documented that the 16-day shutdown in 2013 was a disaster that further eroded Americans’ confidence in their elected officials. Preparing for a possible shutdown costs agencies time and money; most federal employees were furloughed and those who worked did so without pay; and taxpayers witnessed the damage first-hand when they couldn’t visit a national park, food and drug safety inspections were delayed, and investigations into air and water pollution were backlogged. Even the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was forced to close its doors.

Private-sector businesses that rely on federal workers suffered, from mom-and-pop delis near federal workplaces, to tourism communities dependent upon national parks, to real estate and mortgage companies awaiting income verification information to approve loans.

The men and women of the federal workforce are middle-class taxpayers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, and right now there is no guarantee that furloughed employees would receive back pay. This is why NTEU encourages immediate action on legislation from Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) that would guarantee employees are fully compensated immediately after the government reopens. 

“Federal employees and taxpayers are already anxious about proposals to reorganize and downsize government, and the drum beat of another looming shutdown is making matters worse,” Reardon said. “NTEU is working hard to help avoid a disruption in government services, but if one occurs, we will fight to reopen the government as soon as possible and make sure federal employees are paid in full.”

NTEU represents 150,000 employees at 31 federal agencies and departments.