SEATTLE — As the federal government shutdown reached its 30th day Thursday, furloughed workers in Seattle lined up inside City Hall looking for help, information, and a sense of hope.
The event, billed as a “Federal Workers Resource Fair,” was hosted by U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. Dozens of federal employees and contractors attended, some of them unpaid for a month and others recently laid off as the shutdown drags on.
Organizers said the goal was to connect out-of-work federal employees with local and state programs that can help with food, rent, and utility bills. Outside, a nonprofit food truck served free lunches, staffed in part by one of the furloughed workers the fair was meant to support…