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A key government employee union is pushing for a quick end to the federal government shutdown. “It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, according to The Associated Press. “No half measures, and no gamesmanship.” The two parties have made their point, Kelley said. He called for Congress to pass a “clean” funding bill, the option Republicans have offered, according to Politico. The union carries considerable political weight with Democrats, AP said. Party leaders did not immediately back down, but Democrats said they’ll discuss the union’s position this week, according to Politico. “It has a lot of impact. They’ve been our friends,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said, adding that Democrats “take them seriously.” Other major unions, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, have not broken with the Democratic position, according to The Hill. The effects of the shutdown are beginning to build. The nation’s 1.3 million active-duty members of the military could miss a paycheck on Friday, according to AP. The Trump administration has also said funding will run out Friday for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which millions of Americans use to help buy food. Air travel issues related to the shutdown escalated over the weekend, Politico said. The government shut down earlier this month after Republicans and Democrats failed to pass a bill extending funding. Republicans in the House passed an extension, but Democrats have demanded Congress extend a set of expiring health care subsidies in exchange for their votes, which are required to advance a funding bill in the Senate. They have also sought to reverse cuts to health care spending made in a Republican policy bill earlier this year. Republicans have expressed openness to addressing the subsidies, which help millions of people pay for health coverage. But they have said that issue can be dealt with at a later date, after the government reopens. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, which is home to large numbers of federal workers, has been firmly in favor of confronting President Donald Trump and Republicans over the health care issues, according to Politico. But he was more cautious on Monday. “Look, I think we can still deal with health care and SNAP, but I know … the shutdown is a real challenge,” he said. “Federal employees feel like they’ve been abused and also going for weeks now without pay.”
