Workers are still struggling to recover from the 35-day Trump Shutdown — the longest in our history. Now, with one week to go before the funding deadline, the White House won’t rule out another government shutdown.
Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said that he “absolutely cannot” rule out another shutdown, and Trump’s top economic advisor Kevin Hassett said that “all options are on the table.”
Question: “Do you think the president would in fact shut the government down again?” Hassett: “All options are on the table.”
Mulvaney: “The government shutdown is technically still on the table.”
Question: “We cannot definitively rule out a government shutdown at the end of this week?” Mulvaney: “You absolutely cannot.”
Meanwhile, workers are still struggling to recover from the 35-day Trump Shutdown, and are worried about how they will pay their bills if Trump holds their paychecks hostage again.
“I don’t know that my family could hold out another month like the last time.” – Federal worker
“A few of my friends have already missed their rent, and they might be missing February’s rent. It’s scary for them. It’s scary for me.” – Federal worker
“This was not a vacation. Vacations are supposed to be fun and relaxing. You have money to go do fun things or whatever. This was one of the most stressful periods of my life.” – Federal worker
“I did it because I don’t want to go through this again. I want to carve out another career, I really do.” – Federal worker
“I don’t know if we can do this a second time.” – Federal worker
“I was happy to be back to work so I can pay some of my bills. But, you know, they say it’s – it might only last about three weeks, so I’m kind of scared.” – Federal worker
“This is like disappearing into quicksand. Even once I get back at work, how am I supposed to dig out?” – Federal worker
“The impact was just unbearable for me… You know, I had my moments as far as depression and being sad and, you know – I don’t know. It just took a toll on my livelihood.” – Federal worker
“We would be tapping into kid’s college funds. It’s not just like we just have this pile of money sitting there. It’s specifically for things.” – Federal worker
“We’re going to stay on the more conservative side until there’s more permanence to staying open.” – Federal worker