The federal government shutdown, now stretching into its third week, has cast a long shadow over the nation, with more than 4,000 federal employees receiving layoff notices and critical public services feeling the strain. The deadlock in Congress has left Americans across the country facing uncertainty, and Alaska’s lawmakers, along with President Donald Trump and his administration, have all weighed in with strong words and controversial actions.
On Friday and Saturday, October 10 and 11, 2025, Alaskan lawmakers spoke out about the shutdown’s mounting consequences. Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, did not mince words in his criticism of Senate Democratic leadership. “I’m working every single day to get the government open. This is the most unavoidable, easy to, I mean, not easy, but this shutdown should not have happened,” Sullivan said, as reported by KTUU. He went on to label the crisis the “Schumer Shutdown,” pointing the finger directly at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Sullivan expressed hope that a clean continuing resolution could pass on Tuesday, October 14, and bring the standoff to an end.
Representative Nick Begich, also a Republican from Alaska, echoed Sullivan’s frustration in a video posted to social media on Friday. He accused Senate Democrats of refusing to vote for a clean continuing resolution—one they had supported alongside Republicans earlier in March 2025. “Democrats in the United States Senate are refusing to vote for a clean, continuing resolution. This is the same resolution that Democrats voted for in the Senate with Republicans earlier this year, back in March. Now, they’re saying no. And people are really starting to feel the effects,” Begich said, according to KTUU.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, another Alaskan Republican, focused her criticism on the Trump administration’s response to the shutdown, specifically the layoffs of federal employees. She took to social media to express her concern: “While few details have been shared about Russell Vought’s latest layoffs, there is no question this is poorly timed and yet another example of this administration’s punitive actions toward the federal workforce. The termination of federal employees in a shutdown will further hurt hard-working Americans who have dedicated their lives to public service and jeopardize agency missions once we finally re-open the government,” Murkowski wrote.
These warnings proved prescient. As the shutdown dragged on, the Trump administration revealed in a court filing on Friday that more than 4,000 federal employees had been given layoff notices. President Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, explained, “It’ll be a lot of people. I must tell you, a lot of them happen to be Democrat-oriented.” Trump did not elaborate on the criteria for targeting workers or specify how many would ultimately be laid off, but he was clear in blaming Democratic lawmakers for the cuts, arguing that their refusal to reopen the government had forced his hand, as reported by CNN.
The layoffs hit a wide swath of federal agencies, including the departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security, and Treasury. Treasury and HHS saw the highest numbers, with more than 1,000 workers let go at each department. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was particularly hard hit, experiencing deep staff cuts late Thursday night. Disease detectives, outbreak forecasters, and policy and data office employees were among those affected, with over 200 layoffs reported across various programs. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the recently resigned director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told CNN, “The damage is beyond repair. Crippling CDC, even as a ploy to create political pressure to end the government shutdown, means America is even less prepared for outbreaks and infectious disease security threats.”
All staff at the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report—a journal that has published critical health surveillance data for more than a century—were also let go, according to CDC officials cited by CNN. These cuts come as the nation heads into the winter respiratory virus season, raising alarms about public health preparedness.
The shutdown’s effects have rippled far beyond the federal workforce. Essential employees—such as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers and air traffic controllers—have been required to work without pay since the shutdown began on October 1. While they are eligible for back pay once the government reopens, the stress and uncertainty have led to increased absenteeism, resulting in staffing shortages at key Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facilities in New York, Atlanta, and Albuquerque. Flight delays and cancellations have increased, with air traffic sometimes slowed for safety or rerouted to less affected airspace.
The situation has drawn powerful analogies from federal employee advocates. Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees, compared the predicament of unpaid essential workers to slavery in an interview with CNN. “The US is the only country he’s aware of ‘that forced people to go to work without being paid,’ adding that it reminds him of ‘somebody building pyramids back 4,000 years ago.’” When asked if he was likening the situation to slavery, Jones replied, “Correct. That’s exactly what I’m saying.” AFGE President Everett Kelley later pushed back on the comparison, but the comment underscored the depth of frustration among government employees.
Military service members were also caught in the crossfire, facing the prospect of missing their first paychecks on a large scale during a shutdown. However, President Trump moved to reassure the troops, announcing on Saturday that “we have identified funds” to pay military personnel on October 15. The funds, totaling approximately $8 billion, would be drawn from unobligated Pentagon research and development accounts, according to the Office of Management and Budget. Trump posted on Truth Social, “We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS.” The Pentagon confirmed the plan, stating, “The Pentagon has identified approximately $8 billion of unobligated research development testing and evaluation funds from the prior fiscal year that will be used to issue paychecks if the shutdown continues past October 15.”
Congress, however, remains at an impasse. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson have refused to guarantee military pay through a standalone bill, aiming to pressure Democrats into conceding on broader shutdown negotiations. The Senate is not scheduled to vote until October 14, and the House remains out of session, leaving the shutdown likely to continue into the following week.
Tensions are running high on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers from both parties trading blame and frustration mounting over missed paychecks and the government’s inability to function. As the political stalemate drags on, the very real consequences are being felt not just in Washington, but in airports, hospitals, and homes across America.
The government shutdown of October 2025 has become a test of political will and a stark reminder of the far-reaching impact of federal gridlock. With livelihoods, public health, and national security at stake, the pressure on Congress to find a resolution has never been greater.
