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- Federal workers’ paychecks impacted as government shutdown continues (abcnews.go.com)
Government Shutdown Deepens: Federal Workers Face Missed Pay as Political Stalemate Continues
The ongoing government shutdown entered its tenth day with no resolution in sight, leaving many civilian federal workers with only a partial paycheck on Friday. For a significant number, this payment will be their last until the impasse concludes, creating mounting financial uncertainty for families nationwide.
House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced his concern during a Friday morning press conference, stating, “You’ve got millions of American families who will now have to figure out how to make their mortgage, how to cover their rent, pay the car note and keep food on the table — because Democrats, Chuck Schumer, his colleagues in the Senate are here playing games.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries quickly countered these accusations in his own Friday press conference, asserting that Republicans are “not serious about reopening the government.” Jeffries emphasized Democrats’ openness to discussing “off-ramps” and urged Republicans to collaborate on funding federal employees while simultaneously addressing what he termed the “Republican health care crisis.”
The legislative deadlock intensified Thursday night as the Senate, for the seventh time, failed to pass a clean seven-week funding bill. Following this latest defeat, senators departed for the weekend, effectively guaranteeing the shutdown will extend for at least two weeks, with the next opportunity to vote on government funding not until October 14. Further compounding the delay, House Republican leaders announced Friday the cancellation of all votes for the upcoming week.
The deepening shutdown is now poised to impact approximately 2 million military service members, who are expected to miss their paychecks on Wednesday, October 15, and will not be compensated until the government reopens. This marks a rare occurrence for the U.S. military; while the Coast Guard experienced a similar lapse in pay during a 2018 shutdown, other branches have not gone without pay in decades. Some private financial institutions are reportedly offering zero percent loans to affected service members.
Speaker Johnson indicated that former President Trump is “working on ways” to ensure troops receive their pay during the shutdown, though he did not offer specific details. Johnson asserted, “The Republican party stands for paying the troops; the Democrats are the ones that are demonstrating over and over and over – now eight times – that they don’t want troops to be paid.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune also suggested the White House would “have to do some things” to ensure troops are paid, but similarly refrained from providing specifics.
When pressed on the worsening effects of the shutdown and the plight of unpaid federal employees and soldiers, Leader Jeffries remained firm. He reiterated that Democrats would not yield without concessions on healthcare from Republicans, stating, “Republicans have the House, the Senate, and the presidency.
They decided to shut the government down. Republicans in the House have decided to remain on vacation.”
The shutdown’s impact is already being felt keenly by military families, with reports of some seeking assistance at food pantries nationwide. A poignant call to Speaker Johnson’s appearance on CSPAN on Thursday highlighted the urgency, as a military mother pleaded for a standalone bill to provide military troops pay during the shutdown, expressing fears her “kids could die” if her family’s pay is disrupted on October 15. The National Military Family Association reports that one in five military and veteran families face some level of food insecurity, and 25% have less than $500 in savings.
The next attempt to vote on a clean House-passed funding bill in the Senate is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. ET, which will mark Day 14 of the shutdown.
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