Partnership for Public Service statement on the government shutdown

October 1, 2025

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier in response to Congress failing to pass a resolution to fund the government, triggering a shutdown: 

“Our political leaders are elected to serve the public, and by failing to keep the government open and working they are failing to uphold that central promise to the American people. 

“This particular government shutdown has especially high stakes. The administration has already haphazardly removed tens of thousands of federal employees from the government, causing disruption and long-term harm to vital services that millions of Americans rely on. This shutdown will only compound that problem by generating additional service outages and customer service backlogs. 

“Furthermore, the administration has already expressed its desire to use this shutdown as a cover to continue its work to arbitrarily dismantle the federal workforce. By neglecting to use its power of the purse, Congress has just given the administration unprecedented freedom to determine which services, programs and employees can be sidelined.  

“Ultimately, this shutdown is a critical turning point for our democratic system of governance. The current dysfunctional approach to funding the government is clearly unsustainable, reckless and a flagrant disregard of taxpayer resources. Congress must reach an agreement to reopen the government as soon as possible and find a long-term solution to incentivize government funding per set deadlines without the threat of shutdowns.” 

For more information about how the government shutdown will impact federal employees and the public, visit the Partnership’s government shutdown resource hub. 

During the past 24 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees.   

Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.   

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