As the US government shutdown stretches into its fifth week, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are facing mounting financial distress, with no end in sight to the political deadlock in Washington.
For workers like Jill Hornick, a 59-year-old employee at the Social Security Administration in Chicago, the impact has been devastating. “This is the only income I have,” she said, after receiving a $0 paycheck. “I just started crying. I had a meltdown.”
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, around 730,000 federal employees are working without pay, while another 670,000 have been furloughed. The shutdown, which began October 1, has paralyzed government operations as Congress remains at a stalemate over extending expiring health insurance subsidies.
Across the country, many federal workers have turned to side jobs — delivering food, walking dogs, or selling personal items — to survive. Food banks and community groups have stepped in to distribute groceries to affected families, particularly in the Washington region, where nearly one in five federal workers live.
In Northern Virginia, cars lined up for hours outside food distribution sites run by local nonprofits in partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank. “I don’t know how to get the mortgage paid,” said Casey Perez, a mother of five from Maryland furloughed from her civilian job at Fort Belvoir.
Others are parting with sentimental possessions to make ends meet. Imelda Avila-Thomas, a Labor Department employee in Texas, sold her late mother’s pullout sofa for $40. “I don’t think I was ready to get rid of it,” she said, “but I had to.”
While federal law requires that employees be reimbursed once funding is restored, former President Trump has suggested that not everyone may be compensated — deepening workers’ uncertainty.
Not all government employees are affected: about 830,000 federal workers continue to receive pay through self-funded agencies or alternative revenue sources, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
With bills piling up, many have begun calling creditors for leniency or considering loans against their retirement savings. As the shutdown continues, workers warn that their financial resilience is running out.
“I have no idea how long people can hold out,” said one employee. “We’re just trying to survive.”
