Federal employees do not know how to pay bills, and are afraid of prolonged shatdaun

Federal workers sent on compulsory leave or working without wages because of the shatdaun start complaining that they have been working for almost two weeks without receiving any money, and the bills start to accumulate, writes Time.

Фото: Depositphotos

“It's stressful,” says Nicole Rhodes, a resource assistant at Wayne National Forest in Nelsonville, Ohio. She was last paid on December 28 and she does not know when her next payday will be. As the shutdown continues, it is unclear how she will pay her bills.

Government workers attempting to pay rent, student loan, car loan, credit card debt, and other payments that made up their monthly bills faced serious problems as part of the federal government was closed for three weeks now, becoming the second laggard in US history. The last salary of most federal employees was paid around December 28. January 11 is the first payday when it is not paid.

The government was looking for a way to ease the stress over money by issuing a December notice from the Human Resources Department, which oversees federal employees, on 27. In the document, the agency advised those who would not be paid during the shatdaun, to ask homeowners or lenders to lower the payments. The agency provided samples of letters that people can use to settle rent or loan payment issues. In one letter, which was subsequently removed from the behavior guide in this situation, it was originally proposed that federal workers appeal to their landlords for barter services in return for a portion of the rent, this council was strongly criticized in social networks. Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Union, said the proposal was “ridiculous.”

A spokesman for the Human Resources Office apologized to December 29, saying that the outdated document was published “by chance”.

Andrew Van Singel, a compulsory federal leave from Chicago, said he turned to his landlord and asked him to postpone the rent until the shatdown ended, but it was to no avail. Like many federal employees, he will not receive a salary this Friday, when he should have been paid.

“I heard a statement that the homeowners will meet us halfway. But they refused, insisting on honoring the terms of the contract,” Van Singel said.

To address the issue in the short term, Van Singel is considering the possibility of paying rent and other expenses using a credit card. But it is impossible to pay other bills on credit. The 36 year-old lawyer intends to look for a temporary legal job, although many employers do not want to risk hiring federal employees who will return to their main job after completing the shatdaun.

23-year-old Rhodes reported the same problem. Although the family will help her survive the government’s closure, she is currently considering the possibility of finding a part-time job to earn at least some money during her forced vacation, but after opening the government she will have to quit, and few employers are ready go for it. In addition, Rhodes herself does not want to substitute the employer, but at the same time she cannot afford to remain without a salary for more than a month.

For one employee of the Internal Revenue Service in Philadelphia, the government’s proposal to contact lenders and landlords to resolve the matter only exacerbated the stress of government closure.

“The government requiring workers to bargain with landlords or creditors makes me very sad. We don't even know our landlord. When we moved in, we had to sign a document saying that if we were a few days late with our rent, they could start eviction proceedings,” said a government official who declined to give his name.

An employee of a government agency who was called back to work on January 7 after being sent on compulsory 22 leave in December, says that working without pay makes it much harder to complete tasks.

“It is extremely inhumane for the government to expect federal employees to work without pay. This interferes with my ability to focus on doing my job and serving taxpayers to the best of my ability. Morale in this case is very low,” she admitted.

When the baton began, the workers felt some hope that everything would end soon. Now they are desperate for any changes in the situation.

“Now it looks like slave labor. We just want the shutdown to end, for workers to get paid, and for some legislation to be passed so that federal employees don't have to work without pay,” said another federal employee.

Van Singel, who has been spending his unexpected free time doing puzzles and volunteering, says the third week of the shutdown is the first time he has felt real fear for his future.

“I thought it would be over in a week or two. I didn't think it was that serious. I'm doing well financially until the start of next month, but then more bills will come. A week ago I wasn’t worried yet, but now it’s a real problem,” he admitted.

Recall three weeks ago (December 22) in the US, began shatdaun - partial closure of the federal government due to lack of funding. The congress and presidential administration cannot agree on expenses for the next year or at least several months. President Donald Trump is demanding almost 6 billion dollars to be allocated for the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico, but Congress, whose lower house is under the control of the Democratic Party after the mid-term elections, refuses to allocate this money.

Now the head of the United States intends to introduce a state of emergency in the country - in this case, he will be able to provide funding for the construction of the wall from the US military budget.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Because of the shatdaun millions of Americans can be left without food stamps and benefits

What the world media writes about Trump's war on Congress and its appeal to the nation

The IRS decided not to postpone the start of the tax season because of the shutdown

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