Dems Feeling Heat from Unions to End Shutdown
3 Martini Lunch
Radio America
4.6 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 28 October 2025
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
First, they highlight the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union publicly demanding an end to the government shutdown and urging Democrats to back the clean extension of government funding pushed by Republicans. Four different pilots' unions are making the same demand. Will this convince four more Senate Dems to switch sides?
Next, they wince as the groups spending the most money to defeat California Gov. Gavin Newsom's ballot initiative to gerrymander the state's congressional map are now spending very little and essentially surrendering the fight.
Finally, they get a kick out of Maine Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner's campaign manager stepping down after three days on the job. Kevin Brown says it's because he and his wife just found out they are expecting a baby and Platner deserves a campaign manager with undivided attention. But that timing seems awfully convenient given Platner's Nazi tattoo scandal.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the three martini lunch. |
| 0:04.9 | Grab a stool next to Greg Carumbus of Radio America and Jim Garrity of National Review. |
| 0:10.6 | Three martini's coming up. |
| 0:13.5 | So glad you're with us for the Tuesday edition of the Three Martini Lunch. |
| 0:17.8 | Today we're going to be talking a little bit more about Graham Platner up in Maine |
| 0:21.0 | and the implosion of that campaign potentially. We'll also be taking a closer look at the |
| 0:28.2 | Republicans' chance for defeating Gavin Newsom's redistricting bill or a referendum, pretty much |
| 0:35.1 | going up in flames as well. And we'll also be taking a close look at how |
| 0:40.0 | the pressure is actually mounting on Democrats to end the government shutdown. |
| 0:44.6 | So let's start right there. |
| 0:46.4 | And Jim, the unions. |
| 0:48.2 | There are multiple unions now weighing in saying the shutdown's got to end and it needs to end with |
| 0:52.6 | the Republican clean extension of current government spending levels to be the answer here. |
| 0:59.2 | First of all, NBC News. |
| 1:00.3 | The country's largest union representing federal workers is calling for lawmakers to pass a short-term spending measure to immediately end the government shutdown, |
| 1:08.7 | urging Democrats to abandon their current position |
| 1:11.3 | and join Republicans in supporting a stopgap solution. |
| 1:15.5 | The AFGE, American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelly, wrote both parties |
| 1:21.5 | have made their point and there is still no clear end in sight. |
| 1:24.6 | It's time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. |
| 1:29.3 | No half measures, no gamesmanship, unquote. Also, pilots for major airlines are jumping into the |
| 1:36.1 | fight, according to USA Today with three pilot unions calling on Congress to end the stalemate by |
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