Cuz that makes too much sense, and it's the government!!
Preface this with I could be off base. But, this is my tarded controller take.
ATO side has those positions open. They know we need controllers. FAA finance says the NAS is 100% staffed, there for those positions can't or don't need to be filled. Finance controls the money, and is only financing for enough new controllers to replace those which we are losing every year. As we all know, there are many times the number of qualified applicants than we could possibly take, but the academy hasn't run at max capacity in years and years. They haven't even tried. Why? Because ATO can't get the money to do it. Hopefully by using the CRWG numbers, everyone is forced to accept the NAS needs more controllers, and the FAA can get, and spend the funding, to make it happen.
NATCA in Washington was based around staffing and the CRWG.