One Paycheck into the Government Shutdown

With the partial government shutdown in its 17th day, federal employees who are furloughed and working without pay will officially be missing their first paycheck this Friday. The partial government shutdown began on December 22, 2018, when President Trump and Congress were unable to agree upon a funding bill. President Trump would like to see $5.7 billion appropriated to fund the building of a Southwest border wall, a polarizing proposal that animates both sides of the partisan divide.

Many vital government services as far reaching as food stamps and housing assistance to federal tax refunds may be delayed or put off entirely as alternative funding runs dry, during what is now the 2nd longest government shutdown. Tonight, in a televised address from the Oval Office, President Trump will make his case directly to the public, addressing the shutdown and his plans for the Southern border.

Three-quarters of the federal government will be funded through September 2019, due to the passage of an earlier budget bill. That translates into 9 out of 15 federal department closures. About 420,000 essential federal workers, roughly the size of Miami, Florida, are working without pay. An additional 380,000 workers are living without pay, which amounts to most of the city of New Orleans, not getting a paycheck. Federal employees who have had to work without pay are organizing to sue the government if they do not get paid this Friday.