Shutdown Update: Office of General Counsel, AFSCME International Union

AFSCME’s Office of the General Counsel is working on over a dozen federal cases filed since Trump took office in January to protect our members’ rights. A partial federal government shutdown threatens to pause the accountability that the Trump administration faces in federal court by these cases and hundreds of other cases brought against the administration. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has projected that federal courts may not be able to sustain operations past October 3 using reserve funds if Congress does not avert a partial government shutdown before October 1. When the reserve funds are depleted, courts “would continue operating, but would be limited to activities needed to support the exercise of the judiciary’s constitutional functions and to address emergency circumstances.” The court’s limited operations during a government shutdown could allow the Trump administration to stall or advance litigation to their advantage. AFSCME will continue to advocate for our members’ rights in federal court despite a partial government shutdown.