A coalition of unions in the federal sector signed on to an extraordinary Federal Unionists Network (FUN) letter September 29 urging the Democrats to fight Trump administration cuts, even at the price of a government shutdown. It was titled “No Bad Budget in Our Name,” and signers represent tens of thousands of federal workers.

Now that the shutdown has started, FUN is organizing a response among federal unionists, stating: “This is much more than a fight between branches of government or political parties. This government shutdown is a showdown between the public and the billionaires.”

“[They’re] using a shutdown as a threat to pressure Congress to pass a budget that impacts our most vulnerable, including seniors, rural communities, hungry children and cuts out access to healthcare for millions of Americans,” said FUN co–executive director Alyssa Tafti in a statement. “Federal workers took an oath to serve the American people, and our veterans, our seniors, and our families deserve better than to have these important services and protections taken away from them,” she said.