1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to immediately pass a clean continuing resolution and end the current government shutdown. As the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) emphasizes, this shutdown is the result of partisan gamesmanship and is causing tangible harm to real people and essential institutions. Federal and District of Columbia employees—some 800,000 strong, according to AFGE—are dedicated professionals who ensure safe skies, care for veterans, protect our borders, and inspect our food supply. Yet many are working without pay, or are furloughed altogether, simply because of political disagreement in Washington. Here are the key reasons why we must act now: 1 The human cost is serious.
Parents, caregivers, veterans and other public-servants are being forced to choose between paying rent, buying groceries, filling prescriptions or putting gas in the car. This is unacceptable. 2 There is no winner in a shutdown.
Shutdowns cost taxpayers billions, hurt small businesses, and erode confidence in government. As AFGE notes, “there is no ‘winning’ a government shutdown.” 3 The public overwhelmingly opposes the shutdown.
According to the article, nine out of ten Americans view this government shutdown as a problem. 4 The path forward is clear.
AFGE outlines the concrete steps: ◦ Reopen the government immediately via a clean continuing resolution. ◦ Provide back pay for every single employee who has served or been furloughed through no fault of their own. ◦ Then, on a bipartisan basis, address larger policy matters (rising costs, broken appropriations process) without punishing dedicated civil servants. As your constituent, I ask you to support this approach. The government belongs to all of us, and when it stops functioning, the most vulnerable among us suffer the most. To preserve the integrity of our institutions and the livelihood of the people who keep them running, please vote in favor of ending the shutdown immediately and restoring support for the federal workforce. Thank you for your service and for your attention to this urgent matter. I am hopeful you will act in the national interest and bring stability back to our government’s operations.