Statement from NYC Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO President Brendan Griffith on the Government Shutdown

The Trump administration and its allies in Congress have thrown our country into chaos by holding the federal government hostage and plunging working people into needless turmoil. Federal employees, including veterans and frontline public servants here in New York City, secure our airports, protect our food and water, and provide critical services every day. Now their livelihoods and the vital services we all depend on are being disrupted, forcing families to make impossible choices just to get by, all while health care costs for millions of Americans continue to rise.

At the same time, the administration is escalating its partisan attack on New York City by freezing $18 billion in funding for the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Avenue Subway. This freeze threatens jobs that currently exist, and puts at risk approximately 165,000 total jobs related to these projects which are vital to the future of our city and our economy. Instead of moving these projects forward, this White House is using manufactured disputes over diversity as a flimsy and cynical excuse to punish New York’s Congressional leaders for a government shutdown caused by their own party. This is an intentional assault on our city, our infrastructure, and our communities. 

Republican leadership has told us over and over again that they are the party in power. The party in power needs to end this reckless shutdown, stop targeting New Yorkers, and put the needs of working families first.