The nation’s leading federal employee and veteran unions are condemning the ongoing government shutdown as a direct attack on those who have served the country, both in uniform and in civil service.
The National Federation of Federal Employees, which represents 110,000 federal workers nationwide, and the Union Veterans Council, a coalition advocating for veterans’ rights in the workforce, said the shutdown, now in its ninth day, is inflicting severe economic harm on the people who keep the nation running.
“A government shutdown is a manufactured crisis that deliberately targets the financial stability of those who have dedicated their lives to public service,” the UVC said in a statement. “This is not inconvenience; it’s economic hardship imposed on our heroes.”
According to the UVC, the shutdown immediately halts paychecks for active-duty service members, forcing military families to endure financial strain while still being required to serve. Veterans working as federal civilians are being furloughed or required to work without pay, and programs designed to help service members transition to civilian life have been suspended.
“We ask our service members and veterans to defend this country, and in return, we owe them financial certainty,” the UVC said. “Political games should never come at the expense of those who served.”
NFFE National President Randy Erwin echoed those concerns, calling the situation a “reckless political game” that punishes veterans and working families alike.
“Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will now be unable to pay for food, medications, childcare, and other basic necessities,” Erwin said Friday. “Many of them are veterans who already earn 25% less than their private-sector counterparts. A single missed paycheck can be catastrophic.”
Erwin also criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson for sending the House home amid the crisis, saying Congress must “get real” about what it will take to end the shutdown.
Both organizations warned that the effects extend far beyond paychecks. Without federal workers, key infrastructure begins to erode: benefits are delayed, national parks close, public safety programs pause, and local economies suffer. Most urgently, veterans could lose access to vital care and transitional services, while active-duty personnel go unpaid.
“The federal government should be a model employer,” Erwin said. “Instead, this shutdown shows how far we’ve strayed from American ideals and good governance.”
The NFFE and UVC are urging Congress and the White House to reach an immediate agreement to restore funding and protect those who serve. “America’s veterans and active-duty troops deserve better than to be used as bargaining chips,” Erwin said. “End this shutdown now.”
