WASHINGTON, DC – “Working people want our leaders to lower the price of groceries and housing, raise wages, and make healthcare more affordable and accessible for our loved ones. The temporary funding bill House Republicans sent to the Senate does none of that. Instead, it clears the way for them to take healthcare coverage away from 80 million children, seniors, and people with disabilities to pay for tax breaks for big corporations and billionaires.

Republican leaders walked away from the bargaining table, putting us on the brink of a government shutdown. It’s no coincidence, as they have already been shutting down as much of our government as they can, with deep cuts and layoffs that put our children’s education at risk, threaten Social Security for seniors, and jeopardize care for veterans. This rolling shutdown, driven by unelected billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE operation, has caused child care providers to go without funding, compromised our ability to protect against diseases like bird flu and measles, and threatened the safety of airline passengers. 

Republican leaders control all branches of the federal government, and since the Inauguration they have created chaos and confusion, scapegoating immigrants—all to give corporations more power. It’s time for our elected leaders to stand up to these bullies and stand up for workers by rejecting this backwards bill.

SEIU appreciates the members of Congress who voted against the House-passed Continuing Resolution on Tuesday, and we urge Senators to do the same. We urge them instead to avoid a government shutdown by supporting Sen. Murray’s clean CR which will allow members of Congress to come together and negotiate an FY25 funding bill that is in the interest of working people across the country.”

###