Yesterday Trump once again claimed that federal workers support his shutdown. That couldn’t be further from the truth. As one worker put it, “The president was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. If he thinks he knows how ‘those people’ think, he is out of his mind.”
Here are real stories of workers hurt by the Trump Shutdown:
“The president was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. If he thinks he knows how ‘those people’ think, he is out of his mind.” – Federal worker
“I just don’t feel that he has to hold the country hostage, I don’t buy it. That that has to happen, that he has to hold the country hostage to get this at my expense. At all of our expenses.” – Federal worker
“We’re not going out to eat, we’re cooking every meal at home, and there were conversations about what could we stop if we needed to and what could I do to bring in additional income.” – Federal worker
“I constantly worry about being able to take care of my family because I am the sole breadwinner in my home.” – Federal worker
“I am in a state of being unsure, I am in a state of anguish, I don’t know what I should do, I don’t know if I should go and apply for unemployment, I don’t know if I should apply for another job.” – Federal worker
“For federal employees, our daily lives revolve around work, so when you take work away from us, there’s a big gap . . . It almost feels demoralizing.” – Federal worker
“We’re trying to do everything we can do to brace for the impact. It’s almost like a hurricane.” – Federal worker
“For someone to say that it could go on for months or years, we don’t have months or years. Our creditors are not going to give us an IOU. I talked to one this morning and was like, ‘Hey, can we work this out?’ And they basically said, ‘I’ll see you in court.’” – Federal worker
“Definitely feel like a pawn in a game that I don’t agree with … but yeah, I definitely feel stuck, and there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it.” – Federal worker
“There’s no cushion. When February rolls around, my rent’s going to be due, and I’m going to need the nation to help.” – Federal worker
“I have child support and rent, and I’ve told my landlord that any increase and I will have to move.” – Federal worker
“I’m just scared that this is going to be for a long time, and I’m a single woman. What is going to happen with me? Who could help me?” – Federal worker
“I’m on a lot of medications, because I’m a year out from being a breast cancer survivor, so I have to make the decision — do I refill all of my medications even before I need them, because I might not have the money later, or do I pay for the child care? Or do I buy food?” – Federal worker
“When we finally do get paid, we’re going to be trying to climb out of a big hole.” – Federal worker
“The bite is truly there. If this drags out till the end of January, I don’t know what we’re going to do.” – Federal worker
“When something like this happens, and you’re not going to get your next check, it’s like, OK, what do I do? I will have to make a tough choice between paying my utilities or going and buying groceries.” – Federal worker
“People have student loans, they have mortgages. People should not have to worry about meeting their day-to-day expenses.” – Federal worker
The government shutdown “could ruin our whole year over this silly wall.” – Federal contractor