Fed workers to miss paychecks
Employees seek other options to get money during shutdown
The partial government shutdown, which enters its 21st day today, will be the longest in history by this weekend and is forcing many families to make tough decisions — especially for federal workers who do not have enough savings to cover their mortgages and other bills. Approximately 800,000 federal employees will not receive checks today as they are affected by the government shutdown, forcing workers to scale back spending, cancel trips, apply for unemployment benefits and take out loans to stay afloat. Most government workers received their last paycheck two weeks ago, and today will be the first payday with no money. On Thursday, federal workers called for an end to the shutdown during rallies planned in such places as Denver and Ogden, Utah. Some workers are relying on donations, including launching GoFundMe campaigns. Air traffic controllers, National Park staff, TSA employees and Secret Service agents are also affected by the shutdown. The Coast Guard, funded through the Department of Homeland Security, is the only military branch whose members will go without pay during the shutdown. A food pantry has opened up at the Boston Coast Guard base for guardsmen and their families. Some workers are thinking about taking second jobs. In Boston, the city Public Works Department emptied overflowing trash cans at the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown as the shutdown drags on. In a tweet, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said, “When Washington steps away, we step up. More great work by (Boston Public Works) during the #TrumpShutdown.” U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark on Thursday said federal workers are being “held hostage by our president’s senseless, politically motivated demand to build a wall on our southern border.” Clark’s office announced she would join 21 other lawmakers in introducing the Federal Employee Civil Relief Act, legislation that would protect federal employees and their families from foreclosures, evictions and loan defaults during a government shutdown. Roughly 420,000 federal employees were deemed essential and are working unpaid. An additional 380,000 are staying home without pay. While furloughed federal workers have been given back pay in previous shutdowns, it’s not guaranteed that will happen this time. Government contractors, who have been placed indefinitely on unpaid leave, don’t get compensated for lost hours. By Jan. 18, federal district courts will run out of funds, suspending or postponing many civil cases if the shutdown continues.