As Government Shutdown Continues, Workers' Worries--and Bills--Grow
WASHINGTON—Ernest Johnson, a geologist for the Bureau of Land Management in Wyoming, isn’t sure how long he can last without a paycheck. He has already deferred his January car payment, applied for unemployment benefits and alerted his Rawlins landlord that he may have to break his lease in February. Friends have offered to help with rent if he needs it.
(snip)
After previous shutdowns—the longest, in 1995, stretched out 21 days—Congress has approved back pay for both furloughed employees and employees who worked without pay. But workers who are contracted by the federal government are simply out of work, unable to recover their lost hours.
Lila Johnson, 71, is one of those contract workers. She works part time as a custodian at the Agriculture Department in Washington to supplement her social security and pension income and support her two great-grandchildren.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to pay my car insurance, my life insurance, credit cards, rent and all that bills that I have being head of household,” she said. “I am going to have to figure out how to get all this done without a paycheck.”
(snip)
Federal credit unions and financial services institutions that serve many federal employees or veterans, such as the Navy Federal Credit Union and USAA, are offering loan packages or payment deferments for those affected by the shutdown. Navy Federal had distributed a couple thousand loans on Friday to members of the Coast Guard before the military branch announced that it would be disbursing paychecks on Dec. 31, reversing a previous position.
More..
https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-government-shutdown-continues-workers-worriesand-billsgrow-11546344001 (paid subscription)