Partnership for Public Service statement on the imminent vote to end longest ever government shutdown

November 12, 2025

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier on the imminent vote to end the government shutdown and reopen the federal government.

“While I’m relieved to see an end to this wasteful government shutdown, this crisis should have never happened in the first place. Failing to keep the government open and operational is an egregious disregard of taxpayer resources and has unnecessarily eroded the functioning of critical public services.

“There has been much harm done by our political leaders, and it could take months or even years for the federal workforce to undo the damage caused. On top of managing the chaos caused by the administration’s arbitrary workforce cuts, federal agencies have just spent more than a month with further capacity limitations while operating under this shutdown. Agency leaders must re-engage their employees, rebuild morale and prioritize the public’s needs when managing backlogged work.

“This mess has shown us once again that the process for funding the government is deeply broken, and Congress must take steps to prevent a devastating impasse like this from happening again. Reasonable solutions include passing bipartisan legislation, such as the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, that would mandate an automatic rolling continuing resolution and implementing a biennial budget cycle.”

For more information about how the government shutdown is impacting federal employees and the public, visit the Partnership’s government shutdown resource hub.     

To learn more about how the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle federal institutions, funding streams and infrastructure are disrupting critical public services and agency work, check out the Partnership’s Federal Harms Tracker. Our Cost to the Shutdown feature offers daily stories about the harm caused by the interruption of vital services provided by the government.   

During the past 24 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees.

Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.       

###