Federal Workers Squeezed as Shutdown Drags On: “I Can’t Believe We’re Not Going to Get Paid”

As the federal government shutdown grinds into its fourth week, millions of Americans who keep the government running are facing growing financial distress, emotional exhaustion, and uncertainty about when — or if — they’ll see their next paycheck. With Republicans and Democrats locked in a political standoff, many federal workers say they feel caught in the middle of a partisan struggle that is threatening their livelihoods and their faith in the system.

‘There’s No Sight of This Ending’

For Johnny Jones, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employee in Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, the coming week will mark a breaking point. “On Friday, we will be missing our first full paycheck,” said Jones, who also serves as council secretary-treasurer for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) TSA Council 100.

“Now people are really starting to get nervous,” he said. “They’re making preparations for liquidations, or figuring out how they’re going to survive.”

Jones said he’s been inundated with messages from coworkers crying and panicking as bills pile up. Memories of the 2019 government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, still haunt many federal employees. During that crisis, Jones helped a colleague transport her children to Colorado so they could stay with relatives when she could no longer afford childcare.

“I just can’t believe we’re not going to get paid,” Jones added. “If you worked at McDonald’s and they did this, they could be sued. But when it’s the government, somehow it’s OK. People are taking on debt, picking up second jobs, driving for Grubhub after working full shifts. It’s not sustainable.”

Washington Deadlocked

Meanwhile, in Washington, the budget stalemate remains frozen. “I don’t have a strategy,” House Speaker Mike Johnson admitted to reporters on October 21, as the House of Representatives continued its long recess. Lawmakers have been on paid vacation since September 19, while hundreds of thousands of federal employees go without pay.

Johnson’s office said in a statement that the House will return “as soon as Chuck Schumer and the Democrats vote to end the shutdown and reopen the government.”

Democrats have stood firm on a budget proposal that includes extending healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — a move that would prevent health insurance premiums from doubling for millions of Americans and stop millions more from losing coverage due to Medicaid cuts. Republicans, however, have refused to consider those provisions until after the shutdown ends.

Workers Under Pressure — and Threat

The shutdown has been compounded by what union leaders describe as a hostile climate toward federal employees within the Trump administration. Workers have faced threats of withheld back pay, potential mass layoffs, and the suspension of federal programs deemed Democratic priorities.

President Donald Trump even joked about his own budget director, Russell Vought, calling him “Darth Vader” for cutting Democratic-led initiatives.

“They call him Darth Vader — I call him a fine man,” Trump said on October 21. “He’s cutting Democrat priorities, and they’re never going to get them back.”

Union leaders argue that this rhetoric has eroded morale among public servants. “It’s played hell with our psyche,” said Ruark Hotopp, a vice president with the AFGE representing the Midwest region and an employee at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Hotopp said he recently met with congressional staff in Washington to discuss worker concerns — only to have Senate aides “laugh off” the administration’s threats. “They told me, ‘Don’t worry, Congress will make sure you get paid,’” he said. “That was reassuring, but it doesn’t change the tone the president sets in public. If we’re ever going to return to normalcy, it has to start with him.”

‘Chaotic’ Furloughs Hit Environmental Workers

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one of the hardest-hit agencies, has seen a chaotic wave of furloughs as its emergency funds run dry. Nicole Cantello, president of AFGE Local 704 and an attorney at the EPA’s Great Lakes office, described the situation as “heartbreaking.”

“I’m located here in the Great Lakes region, and we’re the ones who protect drinking water for 40 million people,” she said. “The inspectors, scientists, and lawyers who ensure polluters are held accountable — they’ve all been furloughed. The human health and environmental consequences will be real.”

Cantello warned that the agency’s prolonged staffing crisis could cause long-term damage. Since January 2025, the EPA workforce has been slashed from 16,155 employees to just 12,448, through retirements, buyouts, and forced cuts. “Given everything that’s happened, who knows who will come back after this furlough?” she said. “We’re losing people, and the agency is becoming ineffective.”

An EPA spokesperson declined to comment on furlough numbers but instead blamed Democrats for prolonging the shutdown. “Their goal is to inflict as much pain on the American people as possible,” the spokesperson said. “Union bosses and their Democratic allies are pushing false narratives designed to sow chaos.”

Economic Strain Reaches Deep

Across the country, federal employees — from air traffic controllers to park rangers — are struggling to make ends meet. Many are dipping into savings, skipping loan payments, or seeking temporary work. Credit unions serving government workers have reported spikes in emergency loan applications.

The shutdown’s ripple effects also extend beyond government offices. Contractors, small businesses near federal facilities, and local economies that depend on public sector workers are all feeling the strain. Economists warn that if the shutdown continues into November, the economic damage could rival the 2019 shutdown’s $11 billion loss in GDP.

“Federal workers are not rich. They’re middle-class Americans — parents, veterans, taxpayers — who just want to do their jobs,” said one AFGE representative. “Every day this goes on, more of them are pushed toward financial ruin.”

Morale at a Breaking Point

The psychological toll is growing as fast as the financial one. Many workers report feeling devalued and targeted by political leaders. For longtime civil servants, the shutdown is more than a paycheck delay — it’s an attack on the principle of public service itself.

“This is supposed to be about serving the country,” Hotopp said. “But now it feels like the country’s leaders are turning on their own people.”

Union officials have begun organizing food drives and emergency relief funds for affected employees. Still, with no end in sight, federal workers face another grim milestone — missing a second full paycheck in early November.

The Bigger Picture

The shutdown, sparked by deep disagreements over healthcare, spending, and executive power, has evolved into a test of endurance for both political parties. Yet for the hundreds of thousands of people who process passports, protect national parks, inspect food safety, and ensure air travel security, the political stalemate has become deeply personal.

Their message is simple: stop using federal workers as bargaining chips.

Until that happens, people like Johnny Jones will keep showing up to work — unpaid, uncertain, but still holding on. “We love what we do,” he said. “We just want to be treated like human beings.”