A continuing resolution is a temporary spending bill that allows federal government operations to continue when final appropriations have not been approved by Congress and the president.

The letter was sent Wednesday and signed by Congressmen Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, John Moolenaar, John James, Bill Huizenga, Tom Barrett, Tim Walberg, and Congresswoman Lisa McClain.

The letter points out both Peters and Slotkin have had many opportunities to support and help pass the continuing resolution and they should reconsider their position, especially since they have voted in the past on other continuing resolutions in the past.

On Thursday, the Senate voted against the continuing resolution for the seventh time.

Gary Peters

In order for the resolution to pass, the Republicans need some Democrats to cross the aisle to support it because 60 votes are needed to pass it. Republicans only hold 53 seats, plus the tie-breaking vote, Vice President J.D. Vance.

“This same kind of legislation has passed both chambers of Congress over a dozen times over the past several years,” the letter says. “You both were supportive of a very similar piece of legislation in December 2024. We urge you to do the same now for the good of all the people of Michigan, Republican and Democrat, whom you were elected to serve.”

The joint letter also points out that most of the items in the spending bill are things that both the U.S. Senators have supported in the past, but are taking a different stance on now.

“This shutdown is completely unnecessary and only harms the American people who rely on services provided by the federal government — the very same services you both have voted to support time and time again,” the letter reads. “Now is the time for you both to show you are responsible representatives of the outstanding citizens of the state of Michigan and do your duty as elected officials. You both must put petty politics aside and vote for H.R. 5371, and reopen our government so we all, as representatives of the great state of Michigan, can continue to better the lives of all across our state and our nation.”

According to Bergman and his counterparts, roughly 56,000 people in Michigan who work for the federal government are now furloughed and facing the possibility of missing their next paycheck due to this shutdown, which began on Oct.1. Also, there are over one million people in Michigan who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which help low-income families put food on their tables.

“These individuals are now facing the reality that they won’t be able to afford groceries due to this shutdown,” the letter says.

Republicans in the Michigan delegation voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act this year, which cut $186 billion from the SNAP program. As of September 2024, there were an estimated 29,822 federal civilian employees in Michigan. The number of those employees furloughed or impacted by the shutdown is determined by the federal agency and also varies between agencies.

“Today, Michiganders are facing higher costs due to inflation, and the so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is creating a health care crisis in our state and across the country,” Peters told the News in an email on Thursday. “If our Republican house colleagues are serious about reopening the government, they need to come back to Washington and work with us on a bipartisan agreement. I also urge them to work across the aisle to help us protect the health care that so many of our constituents depend on.”

Bergman believes elected officials in the House and Senate should not receive paychecks if government employees don’t. He said he has voted in favor of the continuing resolution and says the senate should step up and end the shutdown now.

“The American people deserve better than political games that disrupt critical services and create unnecessary uncertainty for families, veterans, and small businesses,” Bermand said. “My focus remains on restoring common sense and fiscal responsibility in Washington so we can fund the government, support our servicemembers, and deliver real results for northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.”

On Thursday, Moolenaar told The News that reopening the government should not be a divisive issue and one thing that Democrats, Republicans, and Independents can agree on. He said that Peters and Slotkin need to stand up for the people of Michigan and not bow to Democrat leadership.

“Keeping the government open should not be a partisan issue,” Moolenaar said in an email. “The House-passed continuing resolution is a simple, non-partisan, and uncontroversial measure to keep the government operating while Congress continues bipartisan appropriations negotiations. In fact, Senate Democrats like Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin supported nearly identical measures over a dozen times in the past five years. After a week of the Democrat shutdown, it’s time for them to tell Chuck Schumer to stop catering to the far-left wing of their party and open the government so our service members get paid, and programs Michigan families rely on can continue to operate.”

In Alpena, employees for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife office in Alpena and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) workers at the The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center have been sent home until politicians in Washington, D.C. can agree on a funding deal. Staff and military personnel that are considered essential at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents at the Alpena County Regional Airport will continue to work and train.

The employees will not receive paychecks while out of work, but, when a deal is reached, they should receive backpay.

However, earlier this week, President Donald Trump appeared to balk on providing backpay for the workers who are forced to stay home due to the inaction in the Nation’s Capital.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.