On Tuesday, industry group representing major US retailers urged congress members to pass a clean short-term funding bill to reopen the government.
On Monday, the largest union representing federal employees, the American Federation of Government Employees, also called on congress to pass a similar bill.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) stated on Tuesday that the government shutdown threatens economic growth momentum. With both parties in congress unable to pass any funding bill, this shutdown has lasted nearly a month.
Austen Jensen, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at RILA, said: “Retailers across the nation rely on a stable economic environment to serve customers and support millions of jobs.”
He added: “The long-term uncertainty caused by the government shutdown threatens this stability. We encourage lawmakers to support a clean short-term spending bill to reopen the federal government and keep the economy moving forward.”
RILA represents retailers such as Target, Best Buy, The Home Depot, Dollar General, and Walgreens.
The White House and congressional Republicans stated their support for a “clean continuing resolution” that would provide short-term funding for the government at previous levels.
Democrats said they would not support a funding measure that does not commit to extending subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. These subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year and will lead to a surge in premiums.
President Trump and senior Republican lawmakers have said they will only negotiate with Democrats on this issue after the government reopens.
The short-term funding bill passed in the House of Representatives in September, but is currently stalled in the Senate as it struggles to reach the 60-vote threshold. With a narrow Republican majority in the Senate and without support from some Democratic members, the bill fails to meet the necessary threshold requirements.