In astrophysics, an event horizon is the boundary between a black hole and the point of no return from its gravitational pull. Yesterday might have been that event horizon for congressional Democrats as the largest federal government workers’ union—representing more than 800,000 workers—called for an end to the government shutdown.
While not naming Democrats specifically, the union, which donates heavily to Democrats, said it’s time to stop muddying the waters with ancillary policy debates and pass a “clean” spending bill to open the government. Republicans have repeatedly passed a “clean” spending bill, and it’s Senate Democrats who keep rejecting it.
The unsaid implication: This union is done with Democrats’ desire to muddy the shutdown with debates over whether to shovel billions in taxpayer money to health insurance companies to pay for illegal immigrants and households making up to $600,000 annually. Yesterday, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President Everett Kelley released a statement:
This week, Congress pushed our nation into the fourth week of a full government shutdown – an avoidable crisis that is harming families, communities, and the very institutions that hold our country together. Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight.
Today I’m making mine: it’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today … The national interest requires Congress to act immediately to bring every federal employee back to work, pay them for the work they’ve already done (or been locked out from doing), and continue having the debates and disagreements that are the hallmark of a strong democracy – without punishing the people who keep our nation running.
Kelley also urged members of Congress to “[w]ork together on a bipartisan basis to address important policy matters like addressing rising costs and fixing the broken appropriations process.”
AFGE might just have pulled Democrats away from the self-sabotage event horizon boundary. As of late October 2025 and heading into next year’s midterms, President Trump’s approval rating is more popular than either major party, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls.
Trump has the approval of 44% of the country, while Republicans have nearly 41% approval, and Democrats lag behind with 34% approval. Democrats also have the widest net negative margin, at 26% negative spread, compared to 13% for Republicans and just 6% for Trump.
Quinnipiac University polling found 35% of voters approve of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job, while 59% disapprove and 6% did not offer an opinion. Twenty-six percent of voters approve of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job, while 67% disapprove, and 7% did not offer an opinion.
Yet AFGE statement shouldn’t have surprised Democrats: NYT/Sienna polling as the government shutdown began showed 65% of registered voters believed Democrats should not shut down the government if their demands were not met.
The poll also showed a divided opinion among Democrats, with 47% of registered Democrats favoring a shutdown to achieve demands and 43% opposed. But that was in late September; it appears the event horizon is reached, and even strong progressive groups like the biggest government union say it’s time to open the government now.