I lost my job because of the shutdown

I can’t serve my country without a paycheck

Not long ago, I got my dream job with a small government contracting company. Now, because of the partial government shutdown, I have no job.

Last summer, my family returned to the Washington, D.C., area after four years abroad. My husband is a foreign service officer at the State Department and was assigned to Malaysia and, later, to Pakistan. Our two kids and I followed him to Kuala Lumpur but were not allowed to join him in Islamabad because of safety considerations. I stayed in Malaysia that year, raising our children so my husband could support efforts to keep the United States and our soldiers abroad safe from terrorism.

Our family reunited back in America, where my husband’s next assignment would be. We planned to get settled before I would think about finding employment in this extremely expensive place to live.

I didn’t get the chance to get settled. We were still living in a hotel when I was contacted by a small government contracting company about a job in my field of instructional design. I would be creating e-Learning and apps for people serving our country overseas. This was big. I had promised myself when I came back to Washington that I would hold out for a job that mattered, where I could be creative and make a difference. This was that job.

I began working in September and threw myself into the work. My husband and I learned to juggle our schedules and our children’s schedules so we could both succeed in the workplace. It wasn’t always easy, but it allowed me to carve out my place and to keep producing work that I am proud of.

Then came the shutdown.

I worked late on the Friday before Christmas, knowing the partial shutdown might come to pass. I wanted to make sure that when we came back, my colleagues and I could hit the ground running to meet our deadlines. The shutdown went into effect that weekend, and my husband worked the week of Christmas as an “essential” employee. As a government contractor, I had to stay home and make it feel as much like a vacation as possible. We enjoyed the holiday, opened presents and spent time together, and thought all would be well once the new year started.

But all is not well. On Sunday, Jan.6, my company sent out a notice informing all the employees on my e-Learning team that we are no longer employed. It could no longer afford to pay our benefits without having hours to bill. There is the hope that the company can rehire us someday, but that is by no means guaranteed. And while my husband can expect back pay whenever the government reopens, as a contractor I won’t be getting any back pay.

Monday I stayed home, unemployed, while my husband was back at State Department headquarters — working without any assurance of receiving his next paycheck. Meanwhile, the mortgage is still due, and bills need to be paid. Our daughter just came back from the orthodontist with braces, which are expensive. It will not be easy for us during this time, although we are lucky to have some savings.

Still, the Washington area is one of the most expensive regions in the country to live. I worry about myself but also about those less fortunate.

Many who worked alongside me are also suffering. Many of those who supported me and others at my workplace, including cafeteria and janitorial workers, are also contractors and out of work. Most American workers — whether in the private or government sector or working as a contractor — have less than $1,000 in savings and are living paycheck to paycheck.

I love my country. My husband and I love serving the United States, but we will be unable to keep doing it without a paycheck. I understand the importance of the ongoing debates about the government’s budget priorities and how (or whether) to pay for them. But holding the pay of federal employees and contractors hostage is not a helpful way to conduct our government’s business.

Ultimately, it is harmful — not only to the hundreds of thousands of government workers affected, but also to contractors and the many, many more who depend on the smooth running of our institutions. We need to end the shutdown now, and we need to make changes to protect federal and contract workers from partisan gridlock.