Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Monday that the government shutdown could be over “within 10 days,” as even the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) — one of Washington’s largest labor unions — is urging Democrats to reopen the government.
Appearing on “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Donalds blasted Democrats for rejecting a Senate amendment that would have ensured pay for military personnel and essential federal workers during the shutdown.
“[Wisconsin GOP Sen.] Ron Johnson put an amendment on the floor that would require all military officials and essential federal workers to be paid,” Donalds said. “And the Democrats voted no. This has now become very dumb. There’s no strategy here whatsoever.”
AFGE’s call for Democrats to pass the stopgap funding bill and end the government shutdown marks a notable shift — signaling frustration within a traditional Democrat ally base that the standoff is hurting federal workers more than advancing any political objective.
The union’s political action committee donates overwhelmingly to Democrat candidates and causes, and its leadership has routinely endorsed Democrat presidents and congressional candidates who support expanding federal programs, collective bargaining rights, and government spending.
Donalds said the stalemate has exposed the left’s political gamesmanship, accusing Democrats of holding federal workers hostage in order to force Republicans to cave on funding for healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants.
“Republicans are not going to give in to their ridiculous demands about healthcare for illegal aliens,” Donalds told Newsmax. “We’re not going to do that.”
With the pressure now mounting — even from organized labor groups typically aligned with Democrats — Donalds predicted the impasse will soon break.
“At this point, they’ve got their own people saying reopen the government,” he said. “So I anticipate this thing is going to come to an end, probably in about another week to 10 days.”
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