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Washington, D.C. — Congressional approval of a one-week continuing resolution alleviates the immediate threat of a government shutdown but a funding deal for the remainder of the fiscal year is needed, said National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) National President Tony Reardon.

Shutting down the government would have been a financial hardship on federal employees and an unnecessary inconvenience for the taxpayers who expect them to be on the job, providing public services.

“It is unfortunate that we may be in the same bind a week from now when the new continuing resolution expires May 5, but we believe Congress and the administration can use this time to settle on a spending plan that lasts for the rest of the current fiscal year,” Reardon said.

NTEU is calling for funding levels that provide federal agencies with enough resources to retain their workforces and carry out their important missions.

“Lurching from one short-term spending agreement to another has added to the anxiety of the federal workforce and further eroded public confidence in our elected officials,” Reardon said. “We hope such brinksmanship will stop and that taxpayers and civil servants can once again rely on their government to operate with stability and the capacity to do long-term planning. This example of a lack of leadership and governance from elected officials is exactly what Americans believe is wrong with government, not dedicated, non-partisan federal employees who come to work for their agencies because they want to do good for the country.”  

NTEU represents 150,000 employees at 31 federal agencies and departments.