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WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2025 – Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers), released the following statement on the possibility of a government shutdown:
“The IAM Union strongly urges Congress to fund the federal government and avoid a shutdown, which would affect tens of thousands of IAM federal employees and federal contract workers, as well as countless others across our nation.
“The IAM strongly urges a bipartisan funding solution, which should be negotiated in good faith to reach a solution between both Democrats and Republicans to offer a temporary funding measure and avoid a shutdown.
“The IAM also strongly condemns the White House’s threat to use a shutdown as a means to justify illegally firing scores of federal workers. Threats of such an action are unjust and cruel to civil servants, many of whom are Veterans who have already sacrificed and given so much to our great nation.
“Federal workers should not be treated as political pawns in such a fight. These civil servants are so crucial for our nation, from our food inspectors, to social security, air traffic controllers and TSA agents, and even to the military personnel we depend on every day to keep our nation moving forward.
“IAM Union is a diverse labor union representing thousands of federal workers, including those represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), an affiliate representing approximately 110,000 federal workers across the U.S.
“Government shutdowns are even more destructive for our private sector federal contract worker membership, who work alongside federal employees and perform equally essential work for our nation and often do not get any backpay at all after a shutdown ends.
“The IAM strongly encourages both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work together on a funding measure that places the American people first and does not include any layoffs of federal workers.”
