NOTN- Juneau Sen. Jesse Kiehl says the ongoing federal government shutdown is harming public workers and citizens rather than politicians.
Speaking on KINY last week, Kiehl said that despite one party holding control of Congress and the White House, U.S. Senate filibuster rules make it difficult to reach a budget deal.
“Federal rules are a little bit different than the state; there’s the old saying in the U.S. Senate that there are only two rules, there’s unanimous consent and total exhaustion.” Kiehl said, “Breaking a filibuster means bringing in cots and sleeping there until somebody finally falls over. The U.S. Senate is not a bunch of spring chickens, so they don’t like to do that second part. So they’re trying to get to a deal, or rather, if they don’t get to a deal, we end up here.”
Kiehl, recalling Alaska’s own brief partial shutdown during his time in the Legislature, said the consequences of budget impasses fall hardest on workers and the public.
“The pain doesn’t end up with the folks who do the voting, we really have to keep an eye on who’s affected, and it’s the citizens.” Kiehl said, “It’s the people who try to go to work and do the job for the public every day, and that’s what we’re seeing. It’s a doggone shame.”
As of October 21, 2025, the government has been shut down for 21 days, with over 700,000 federal employees furloughed, on October 22, 2025 the shutdown will become the second longest, the longest funding lapse was 35 days in 2018 and 2019.
Republicans and Democrats seem no closer to an agreement on how to resolve the ongoing budget dispute.
Under the U.S. system, the different branches of government have to agree on spending plans before they become law.
“Everybody needs to focus back up and remember that services to Americans are what’s getting cut here.” Kiehl said, “This is destructive.”
