Thousands of federal workers in the Kansas City metro are missing paychecks, picking up side gigs and turning to food banks as the government shutdown enters its third week.
Why it matters: Many of the metro’s roughly 30,000 federal employees have been furloughed since Oct. 1 or are working without pay.
Behind the scenes: Last week, Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kansas) met with IRS, Social Security and other federal workers at Harvesters, a local food bank, to talk about how the shutdown is hitting Kansas Citians.
- “I’m driving Uber at night so I can feed my 15-year-old son,” said Daniel Scharpenburg, vice president of National Treasury Employees Union Local 66.
- “We’re worried there will be another round of these notices if this shutdown goes on,” he said, noting at least three IRS employees in Kansas City have received layoff notices.
What they’re saying: “It’s outrageous that families are being pushed to the edge just because Congress won’t do its job,” Davids tells Axios. “No one should have to choose between feeding their kids and serving their country.”…