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Tag: furloughs

  • Job fairs, hobbies and community conversations: How federal workers are coping with shutdown angst – WTOP News

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    Federal workers are dealing with more and more angst as the government shutdown drags on and furloughs continue, so some are picking up new hobbies.

    (CNN) — Almost every day, Angela O’Neal sits down in her at-home creator’s studio, either painting, sketching or contemplating her next original piece to add to an abundant collection.

    In recent weeks, her daily ritual has taken on a new meaning as she faces the same challenges as many furloughed federal employees — struggling to pay mounting health care bills, a mortgage and the costs of living without a steady paycheck.

    As the government shutdown persists past a month, over a million furloughed federal workers will continue to go without pay, including this Prince George’s County, Maryland, resident.

    “It’s been somewhat devastating for a lot of us,” O’Neal told CNN during an interview in her home. “I don’t think I realized the extent of it until after I saw that I’m not able to go to (physical therapy) appointments because of that… and so it’s been tremendously stressful for a lot of us, and in particular for caregivers and people with chronic health conditions.”

    O’Neal works for the US Navy as a program manager and is celebrating 40 years of government employment. She received a letter from her employer stating she had been furloughed on October 1.

    She has diabetic neuropathy, which affects mobility and causes numbness, tingling and burning sensations in her feet. One of her main concerns is not being able to afford her medical appointments, some of which she already canceled due to copay costs up to $90. “If I don’t have income, then I can’t make those appointments,” she said.

    During these uncertain times, O’Neal leans on her artistic hobby — not only as a coping mechanism, but also as a second form of income. She sells her paintings, prints and posters on her personal website, at rotating exhibits and even at a local cafe.

    “Reality changes when there is a picture of it,” O’Neal said. “As a contemporary artist, I am fascinated by how art can alter the way we see and feel. … So, during this government shutdown and furloughing, I find great solace in painting.”

    Hedging their bets: Furloughed workers head to job fairs

    O’Neal manages the unpredictability through artistry, but others may take a more direct, career-driven approach by canvassing job fairs — some out of precaution, others near desperation.

    CNN attended two job fairs in the Washington, DC, area recently. Many furloughed government employees at these events did not want to give their names or speak on camera for fear of losing their jobs. But they gave sobering accounts of the hardships they’re facing.

    “I’m supporting my kids. I have to tell them we have to budget,” one employee, who was furloughed from the Internal Revenue Service, said at a fair in McLean, Virginia.

    Another employee who didn’t want to name his agency said he’s supporting a young family. “I came all the way from Maryland … an hour-and-a-half, looking for a job,” he said. After struggling to describe the hardship of going weeks without getting paid, he finally told CNN, “I don’t know how much I have left in the tank right now, just to talk to you.”

    But a furloughed employee at a job fair in Maryland spoke openly about her struggles to cope with the shutdown.

    Elizabeth Baker of Montgomery County received a stop-work order from her employer at the start of the shutdown. She is a policy analyst contracted to the National Institutes of Health through her employer.

    “I wouldn’t be here at a job fair if I weren’t trying to hedge my bets, as much as my employer has been very good to me,” Baker told CNN, adding that “we’re down to survival.”

    Baker told CNN that to financially cope with the shutdown, she is cashing in her holiday pay, using unemployment insurance and consulting on what to do if she can’t pay her rent.

    The event hosted by the workforce development group WorkSource Montgomery served federal workers and contractors throughout the area at a time federal workers are particularly in need of support, said the group’s executive director, Anthony Featherstone.

    “It’s tough being out of work as a federal worker. You’ve gone to school. You have lots of education and experience and are highly compensated, and now you’re in limbo,” Featherstone said.

    A focus on mental health

    K Scarry, the owner of the Kbird bar in northwest DC and a former minister, has hosted weekly “opt-in community conversations” for furloughed workers, offering them a chance to share their hardships and to network for other jobs.

    Scarry set up an additional session last week, inviting CNN along with furloughed workers. But no workers showed. Scarry said she received texts from some of them saying they didn’t want to speak to the media out of fear of retaliation. She told CNN what the conversations have been like in those weekly sessions.

    “There’s questions about, you know, ‘How do we talk to our kids? Our kids know the government is shut down. They know we work for the government. How do we have that conversation with our kids without overpromising, but also making sure they feel steady?’” she said. Scarry is offering free meals to any furloughed worker who comes to her bar.

    Baker stressed the importance of furloughed workers maintaining their mental health during this period of uncertainty. Her advice to others in her same predicament: “Look, the situation is real. It’s rough. Adapt how you can. … Keep the hope. Keep striving. You’re smart. You’ll get through this.”

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  • Furloughed IRS worker describes consequences of government shutdown – WTOP News

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    Emily Gross, a furloughed worker at the Internal Revenue Service, said many of her colleagues are concerned about how long the government shutdown could last.

    Young federal government employees who are just starting their careers are concerned about their ability to pay for necessities such as rent if they miss a paycheck because of the government shutdown, a furloughed worker told WTOP.

    Emily Gross, who’s a furloughed government employee who works at the Internal Revenue Service, said many of her colleagues are concerned about how long the shutdown could last.

    “A lot of the employees are young,” Gross said, before casting an early ballot at the Fairfax County Government Center last week. “They can’t pay rent if they don’t get one paycheck. They just don’t have that much money in savings; they’re at the beginning of their careers. I just don’t think it’s right.”

    The shutdown entered its 14th day on Tuesday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier this week that it could become the longest shutdown in history. While the Senate returned from holiday break, Johnson hasn’t yet called House lawmakers back to D.C. Democrats are hoping to prevent Affordable Care Act subsidies from expiring.

    Last weekend, Vice President JD Vance warned there could be more cuts to the federal workforce the longer the government is shut down. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed during the shutdown, and the situation has also resulted in closed Smithsonian museums and delays at airports across the country.

    The IRS, meanwhile, furloughed almost half its workforce last week. Most of the agency’s operations are closed during the shutdown.

    “Fortunately, I’m safe right now financially, just because my children are grown and my husband has a good job,” Gross said. “But a lot of the people I work with are not, and they’re really, really worried.”

    Gross said the circumstances surrounding the current shutdown are frustrating because, “Congress is being paid, and they had no say in this. I don’t think it’s fair. It’s been hard to be a federal employee this entire year.”

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • Fact-check: GOP, Dem government shutdown talking points

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    In 2013, then-businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump shared his vision on Fox News about the role a president should play in a shutdown: “You have to be nice and be angry and be wild and cajole and do all sorts of things, but you have to get a deal.”

    Now as president, Trump has taken a different approach. After failing to reach a bipartisan agreement, he mocked Democrats by posting an expletive-laced video generated by artificial intelligence and set to mariachi music falsely showing U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer saying that “nobody likes Democrats anymore,” so the party is seeking favor with “illegal aliens.”

    Welcome to the 2025 government shutdown. 

    At PolitiFact, we have fact-checked lawmakers’ and pundits’ statements about government shutdowns for more than a decade. When Congress can’t reach a funding agreement, both sides of the political aisle whip up talking points about what a shutdown means for the economy, immigration, worker paychecks, disaster response and services for low-income families. The blame is nearly always placed on the other party.

    PolitiFact is here to help you cut through the spin.

    Sign up for PolitiFact texts

    A reminder: Republicans control the presidency and both chambers of Congress. But passing legislation to extend government funding at current levels would require, under longstanding rules, more than a half dozen Democrats to side with Republicans in order to reach the 60-vote threshold to advance to a vote. This gives Democrats some negotiating leverage, which they are seeking to use in the spending fight.

    It’s Day 1 of the shutdown, and here’s our round-up of fact-checks. Spot a statement about the shutdown you want fact-checked? Email [email protected].

    Social services

    Women, Infant and Children program will “not be funded.”— House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in Sept. 29 remarks to reporters.

    Johnson omits that enrollees will still likely get services, at least initially. But much depends on how long the shutdown lasts.

    The Agriculture Department’s shutdown plan said its Women, Infants and Children program, which provides food to low-income families, shall continue operations “subject to the availability of funding.”  WIC has 6.9 million participants. 

    WIC should be able to continue for at least one week, said Alison Hard, National WIC Association policy director. After that, operations will vary by state, depending on their funds.

    During a shutdown, state WIC programs have options to temporarily fill the funding gap including various USDA sources, state money and requesting early rebate payments from their contracted infant formula manufacturers.

    Past shutdowns

    “Back in 2013, Trump said it was the President’s job to negotiate and avoid a shutdown.” — Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in a Sept. 29 X post

    That’s an accurate paraphrase of Trump’s remarks. 

    In an Oct. 7, 2013, interview with then-Fox News host Greta Van Susteren, Trump criticized then-President Barack Obama for not being a dealmaker during the shutdown. In full, he said:

    “You have to get everybody in a room. You have to be a leader. The president has to lead. He has to get (the Speaker of the House) and everybody else in a room, and they have to make a deal. You have to be nice and be angry and be wild and cajole and do all sorts of things, but you have to get a deal.”

    Trump made similar remarks in a September 2013 “Fox & Friends” phone interview: “Problems start from the top, and they have to get solved from the top, and the president’s the leader, and he’s got to get everybody in a room, and he’s got to lead.”

    A tourist photographs a sign announcing that the Library of Congress is closed, on the first day of a partial government shutdown, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

    Health care

    “Republicans are spiking health insurance premiums by 75% for everyday Americans” if they don’t extend enhanced ACA subsidies. — Rep Katherine Clark, D-Mass., in a Sept. 12 X post.

    Mostly True.

    If the Republican-controlled Congress does not extend Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies before they expire at the end of this year, enrollees will have to pay more.

    A KFF analysis of federal data found that the average increase in out-of-pocket coverage cost for enrollees would be 79%, with state-by-state average increases ranging from 49% to 195%.

    This cost increase would come from a combination of insurance premium increases and the disappearance of subsidies, rather than from “spiking health insurance premiums” alone.

    More than two weeks after Clark’s statement — and after we published the fact check — KFF produced a revised figure for average increases based on new data: 114%.

    “Democrats so-called proposal is a partisan wish list with a $1.5 trillion spending increase tacked onto a four-week funding bill.” — Johnson, in a Sept. 29 press release. 

    The Republican talking point misses context about the Democrats’ proposal.

    The Sept. 17 Democratic proposal latches government funding through Oct. 31, known as a continuing resolution, to some Democratic priorities, including health care assistance and limiting Trump’s ability to claw back funds previously approved by Congress.

    The bill calls for permanently extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that were passed in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and extended in 2022. Those are set to expire Dec. 31. The Democratic bill would also reverse cuts to Medicaid and other health programs that Republicans enacted in their signature tax and spending legislation.

    The Democrats’ measure would restore funding for public broadcasting that Republicans nixed in July and includes over $320 million for security for lawmakers, the executive branch and the Supreme Court. (Republicans have proposed $88 million in security funding in their resolution bill.)

    The bill also contains mandates for how the Trump administration can spend money and would hinder the White House’s recent attempt to cancel almost $5 billion in foreign aid.

    The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a group that’s hawkish on the deficit, said in a Sept. 18 press release that Democrats’ proposal in its entirety would add $1.5 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.

    “The (continuing resolution) itself — the part that funds the government — would not add $1.5 trillion to the debt, but the bill that Democrats have proposed includes other provisions that would,” Chris Towner, the group’s policy director, wrote in an email. “The bill repeals the health spending cuts that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which would cost about $1.1 trillion over a decade to repeal.” 

    Towner also said the Democrats’ provision to make the enhanced ACA subsidies permanent would cost about $350 billion over a decade.

    People take photos with a sign announcing that the Library of Congress is closed, on the first day of a partial government shutdown, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

    If enhanced subsidies are not extended, people with insurance through the Affordable Care Act will see their premiums rise “twice as much in the rural areas.” — Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in a Sept. 28 interview on CBS “Face the Nation.” 

    Mostly True. 

    There are at least two ways to interpret Klobuchar’s statement: that she was comparing rural enrollees’ costs with people living elsewhere, or comparing their costs with what they paid before.

    Klobuchar’s office told PolitiFact that the senator was referring to rural enrollees seeing increases that were double what they had paid before, and that interpretation aligns with what Klobuchar has said in other settings.

    An analysis by the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, found that out-of-pocket insurance costs would increase on average in rural counties from $713 to $1,473 — a 107% increase, or slightly more than a doubling.

    Comparing rural enrollees’ cost increases with people elsewhere, amounts to a disproportionately large increase for rural areas, but it’s not twice as much.

    Enrollees in rural counties would see average out-of-pocket losses of $760 from expiring enhanced subsidies, compared with $624 for all counties and $593 for urban counties. That’s 22% more for rural enrollees compared to all others, and 28% more compared with urban enrollees. 

    Government workers

    “If the government shuts down, members of Congress still get paid. The janitors never get paid.” — Daniel Koh on The People’s Cabinet podcast episode Sept. 29. 

    Mostly True.

    Members of the House and Senate continue to get paid during a shutdown. Federal law says that federal employees get back pay, but the law does not extend that to contractors, a group that includes many janitors. Some private employers with federal contracts may find ways to pay their employees, but there is nothing in federal law that requires it.

    The U.S. Capitol dome and a traffic turn signal are seen from Pennsylvania Avenue, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

    “FEMA won’t be funded” during hurricane season because of the shutdown. — Johnson in Sept. 29 remarks to reporters.

    Johnson was correct that Congress had not agreed on FEMA funding, but a Department of Homeland Security shutdown procedures plan estimates that 84% of FEMA employees will continue working. (DHS oversees FEMA.)

    “Bottom line: hurricanes don’t care about politics. FEMA will still respond. But recovery will stall if Congress can’t do its job,” said Craig Fugate, who led FEMA during President Barack Obama’s administration after leading Florida’s emergency management under then-Republican Gov. Jeb Bush. “This isn’t new — both parties own the blame.”

    The agency’s recovery efforts are most at risk, Fugate said, because they depend on how much money remains in the Disaster Relief Fund. “Those dollars aren’t tied to the shutdown, but they usually run low this time of year. Normally Congress passes a continuing resolution to add money. A shutdown means that doesn’t happen. That slows recovery projects, not the immediate response.”

    The fund had about $2.3 billion at the end of August, which is considered low. 

    RELATED: Trump has defied norms on executive power. What actions could he take amid a government shutdown?

    RELATED: Fact-check: Past government shutdowns cost the U.S. economy billions

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  • Trump, Congress clash triggers government shutdown | Long Island Business News

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    In Brief:
    • About 750,000 face or firings
    • dispute stalls budget negotiations
    • Shutdown could trigger nationwide economic ripple effects
    • Smithsonian museums open briefly, but parks face closures

    Plunged into a , the U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline.

    Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by Trump’s Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide.

    “We don’t want it to shut down,” Trump said at the White House before the midnight deadline.

    But the president, who met privately with congressional leadership this week, appeared unable to negotiate any deal between Democrats and Republicans to prevent that outcome.

    This is the third time Trump has presided over a federal funding lapse, the first since his return to the White House this year, in a remarkable record that underscores the polarizing divide over budget priorities and a political climate that rewards hard-line positions rather than more traditional compromises.
    Plenty of blame being thrown around

    The Democrats picked this fight, which was unusual for the party that prefers to keep government running, but their voters are eager to challenge the president’s second-term agenda. Democrats are demanding funding for care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, spiking the costs of insurance premiums nationwide.

    Republicans have refused to negotiate and have encouraged Trump to steer clear of any talks. After the White House meeting, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist.

    Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said Republicans want to resolve the health care issues that concern Democrats but will not negotiate until the government reopens.

    Until then, he stressed, people and federal workers will be affected in a variety of ways, and, as examples, he cited people on federal food assistance programs, potential flight delays for air travelers and service members not getting paid while they report for duty.

    “It’s craziness, and people are going to suffer because of this,” Vance said on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”

    What neither side has devised is an easy off-ramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure. The ramifications are certain to spread beyond the political arena, upending the lives of Americans who rely on the government for benefit payments, work contracts and the various services being thrown into turmoil.

    “What the government spends money on is a demonstration of our country’s priorities,” said Rachel Snyderman, a former White House budget official who is the managing director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank in Washington.

    Shutdowns, she said, “only inflict economic cost, fear and confusion across the country.”
    Economic fallout expected to ripple nationwide

    An economic jolt could be felt in a matter of days. The government is expected Friday to produce its monthly jobs report, which may or may not be delivered.

    While the financial markets have generally “shrugged” during past shutdowns, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis, this one could be different partly because there are no signs of broader negotiations.

    “There are also few good analogies to this week’s potential shutdown,” the analysis said.

    Across the government, preparations have been underway. Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russ Vought, directed agencies to execute plans for not just furloughs, as are typical during a federal funding lapse, but mass firings of federal workers. It’s part of the ‘s mission, including its Department of Government Efficiency, to shrink the federal government.
    What’s staying open and shutting down

    The Medicare and Medicaid health care programs are expected to continue, though staffing shortages could mean delays for some services. The Pentagon would still function. And most employees will stay on the job at the Department of Homeland Security.

    But Trump has warned that the administration could focus on programs that are important to Democrats, “cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”

    As agencies sort out which workers are essential, or not, Smithsonian museums are expected to stay open at least until Monday. A group of former national park superintendents urged the Trump administration to close the parks to visitors, arguing that poorly staffed parks in a shutdown are a danger to the public and put park resources at risk.
    No easy exit as health care costs soar

    Ahead of Wednesday’s start of the fiscal year, House Republicans had approved a temporary funding bill, over opposition from Democrats, to keep government running into mid-November while broader negotiations continue.

    But that bill has failed repeatedly in the Senate, including late Tuesday. It takes a 60-vote threshold for approval, which requires cooperation between the two parties. A Democratic bill also failed. With a 53-47 GOP majority, Democrats are leveraging their votes to demand negotiation.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said Republicans are happy to discuss the health care issue with Democrats — but not as part of talks to keep the government open. More votes are expected Wednesday.

    The standoff is a political test for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who has drawn scorn from a restive base of left-flank voters pushing the party to hold firm in its demands for health care funding.

    “Americans are hurting with higher costs,” Schumer said after the failed vote Tuesday.

    House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home nearly two weeks ago after having passed the GOP bill, blaming Democrats for the shutdown.

    “They want to fight Trump,” Johnson said Tuesday on CNBC. “A lot of good people are going to be hurt because of this.”

    Trump, during his meeting with the congressional leaders, expressed surprise at the scope of the rising costs of health care, but Democrats left with no path toward talks.

    During Trump’s first term, the nation endured its longest-ever shutdown, 35 days, over his demands for funds Congress refused to provide to build his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

    In 2013, the government shut down for 16 days during the Obama presidency over GOP demands to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Other closures date back decades.


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  • Boeing furloughs thousands as it hunkers down for extended strike

    Boeing furloughs thousands as it hunkers down for extended strike

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    By David Shepardson

    (Reuters) -Boeing said on Wednesday it will temporarily furlough tens of thousands of employees after about 30,000 machinists went on strike on Friday, halting production of its 737 MAX and other airplanes.

    “We are initiating temporary furloughs over the coming days that will impact a large number of US-based executives, managers and employees,” CEO Kelly Ortberg said in an email to employees. “We are planning for selected employees to take one week of furlough every four weeks on a rolling basis for the duration of the strike.”

    Ortberg also said he and other Boeing leaders “will take a commensurate pay reduction for the duration of the strike.”

    The extensive furloughs show Ortberg is preparing the company to weather a prolonged strike that is not likely to be easily resolved given the anger among rank-and-file workers.

    The strike, Boeing’s first since 2008, adds to a tumultuous year for the planemaker which began when a door panel blew off a new 737 MAX jet in mid-air in January.

    A protracted labor battle could cost Boeing several billion dollars, further straining finances and threatening its credit rating, analysts said.

    “It’s unlikely that the cuts will fully offset the costs of a prolonged strike,” said Ben Tsocanos, aerospace director at S&P Global Ratings.

    Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers were set to resume talks on Wednesday in the presence of federal mediators. The union said Tuesday that it was frustrated with the first day of mediation, which it said Boeing was not taking seriously.

    The union has been pushing for a 40% raise over four years in its first full contract negotiations with Boeing in 16 years, well above the planemaker’s offer of 25%, which was resoundingly rejected.

    “We won’t take any actions that inhibit our ability to fully recover in the future,” Ortberg said on Wednesday. “All activities critical to our safety, quality, customer support and key certification programs will be prioritized and continue, including 787 production.”

    The company employs about 150,000 people in the United States. It is unclear exactly which employees are affected by the furloughs. A union representing Boeing’s engineers said their members were not affected.

    The strike, now six days old, also carries risks for the company’s vast network of suppliers, some of whom are also considering furloughs, several told Reuters.

    PRODUCTION HALTS

    The strike has halted production of Boeing’s best-selling 737 MAX jets, along with its 777 and 767 widebody aircraft, delaying deliveries to airlines.

    Boeing said on Monday it was freezing hiring to cut costs as its balance sheet is already burdened with $60 billion of debt.

    The company has also stopped placing most orders for parts for all Boeing jet programs except the 787 Dreamliner, in a move that will hurt its suppliers.

    One senior supplier dismissed the latest announcement as “panic mode” and said it underscored Boeing’s lack of room to maneuver due to its already-strained balance sheet.

    “They would be better to settle; they are getting very near the precipice,” said the supplier, who asked not to be named.

    Boeing shares have fallen about 40% so far this year.

    (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Additional reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal and Tim Hepher in ParisEditing by David Gaffen and Matthew Lewis)

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