Brian Bryant, International President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union), has called on Congress to prevent a government shutdown. In a statement released on September 29, 2025, Bryant emphasized the impact a shutdown would have on tens of thousands of IAM federal employees, federal contract workers, and others across the country.
“The IAM Union strongly urges Congress to fund the federal government and avoid a shutdown, which would affect tens of thousands of IAM federal employees and federal contract workers, as well as countless others across our nation,” said Bryant.
Bryant also called for bipartisan cooperation in resolving the budget impasse. “The IAM strongly urges a bipartisan funding solution, which should be negotiated in good faith to reach a solution between both Democrats and Republicans to offer a temporary funding measure and avoid a shutdown.”
He criticized what he described as threats from the White House regarding potential mass firings during a shutdown. “The IAM also strongly condemns the White House’s threat to use a shutdown as a means to justify illegally firing scores of federal workers. Threats of such an action are unjust and cruel to civil servants, many of whom are Veterans who have already sacrificed and given so much to our great nation.”
Bryant highlighted the essential roles that federal workers play in various sectors including food inspection, social security administration, air traffic control, TSA operations, and military support. He stated: “Federal workers should not be treated as political pawns in such a fight. These civil servants are so crucial for our nation, from our food inspectors, to social security, air traffic controllers and TSA agents, and even to the military personnel we depend on every day to keep our nation moving forward.”
The IAM Union represents thousands of federal employees through its affiliate organization National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), which includes about 110,000 members nationwide.
Bryant further noted that government shutdowns can be particularly damaging for private sector federal contract workers who may not receive back pay after work stoppages end. “Government shutdowns are even more destructive for our private sector federal contract worker membership, who work alongside federal employees and perform equally essential work for our nation and often do not get any backpay at all after a shutdown ends.”
