“They are trying to extract these big changes on the backs of the public services federal workers provide and our communities run on.”The Trump administration estimates it will cut the federal workforce by about 300,000 workers by the end of the year.Much of these cuts have yet to be reflected in monthly jobs report data, which will not be released due to the shutdown. As of August, federal employment is down 97,000 jobs.The last shutdown started in December 2018 and lasted 35 days, until January 2019, costing the US economy an estimated $11bn, according to the Congressional Budget Office.Kirwan suggested the federal government, since Trump took office, has already effectively been operating under a partial shutdown, with about one-eighth of the federal workforce removed, several agencies dismantled and programs eliminated.“We do not want a shutdown, but we know that the most important thing is standing up against further harms through our programs,” he said. “More and more harm has been happening every single month to programs that are critical and that tens of millions of Americans rely upon.“I hope that the budget that is passed will come with assurances that will protect against further harms to critical programs, because we serve the public.