At midnight, the federal government entered a shutdown after Congress and the White House failed to enact a funding measure. Following is a statement from Judy Conti, Government Affairs Director, National Employment Law Project:
“This government shutdown was not inevitable; instead, it is a deliberate choice that hurts women and workers of color, who make up a disproportionate share of the federal workforce. President Trump and his allies in Congress chose this shutdown, and now working families are being forced to bear the costs of a manufactured crisis.
“This is not a routine shutdown. Indeed, the Trump administration has been presiding over a government shutdown since January 20th. President Trump has already gleefully overseen mass layoffs, reclassifications, and the withholding of billions in congressionally approved funds — destabilizing essential services and weakening protections for working families. And now, Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, has threatened to use this shutdown as an excuse to cut benefits that workers and their families rely on and fire even more public servants, who deliver important benefits and services to everyone living in this country.
Russell Vought, head of OMB, has threatened to use this shutdown as an excuse to cut benefits and fire even more public servants.
“Over the past week, instead of working with Congress to keep government open, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed agencies to prepare for permanent layoffs in preparation for this shutdown, signaling an aggressive effort to shrink the federal workforce and erode public services even more.
“Unemployment insurance (UI) is a critical resource for federal workers and contractors suddenly left without pay. Workers have a right to apply for UI (even if they believe they will get their jobs back) and should contact their state unemployment agency to apply for benefits.
“Workers don’t just need a backstop, they deserve a good-jobs economy: stable public jobs, reliable unemployment benefits, and strong wage and safety protections that can’t be switched off in partisan fights. At its core, this is about dignity, fairness, and justice — values that should guide our economy and our democracy alike.
“Through Worker Policy Watch, NELP is tracking and exposing relentless attacks on workers, from Project 2025’s blueprint for mass firings to the manufactured shutdown unfolding now. We will continue to hold bad actors accountable and demand a government that works for working people, not against them. The path forward is clear: Congress must end the shutdown, protect workers, and invest in a good-jobs economy.”
###
