Democracy Dies in Darkness

After a month of the shutdown, workers face mounting bills, car repossessions

Finances are becoming dire for the more than 750,000 government workers who have been going without pay for a full month.

9 min
Furloughed federal workers and allies held a food drive and rally in Washington on Thursday in support of releasing billions in emergency SNAP funds. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

The government has been closed for a full month — and federal workers who have missed two paychecks are now using credit cards to pay their bills, visiting food pantries to stock their kitchens and reviewing their bank accounts, plotting exactly how long they can manage without a salary.

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