A trade group representing major retailers called Tuesday for lawmakers to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government, becoming the latest organization to advocate for the measure to end the shutdown.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) said in a statement that the ongoing shutdown threatened economic momentum as it neared the one-month mark.
“Retailers across the country depend on a stable economic environment to serve their customers and support millions of jobs,” Austen Jensen, senior executive vice president of public affairs for RILA, said in a statement.
“Prolonged uncertainty caused by a government shutdown threatens that stability,” he added. “We encourage lawmakers to support a clean continuing resolution that reopens the federal government and keeps our economy moving forward.”
The RILA represents retailers like Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, Dollar General and Walgreens.
The call from the retail group comes a day after the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers, similarly pressed Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government.
The White House and congressional Republicans have said they support a clean continuing resolution, which would fund the government at previously established levels.
Democrats have said they would not back a funding measure without commitments to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year and would cause premiums to spike.
President Trump and top GOP lawmakers have said they will only negotiate with Democrats on the issue once the government is reopened.
