criminal
in this age,that supposed democracy
more like dctatorship
bitch and moan re China/Russia illtreating there citizens huh
hypocritcal devls your chosen authoritarians
personally genuinely sorry for those affeceted
and
itsthose working for that gtovt geesus
Federal workers face painful choices as they scramble to pay rent, bills
On Friday many of the 800,000 government workers impacted by the shutdown will almost certainly miss their second paycheck in a month. A week later, they’ll face rent, mortgage payments, and other bills, which for many add up to thousands of dollars.
The average federal worker makes $85,600 annually, according to the
Washington Post, but 111,000 affected workers make less than $50,000. And,
as we know, millions of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
Now many federal workers face a slew of bad options to try to make their rent or mortgage payments: wiping out hard-earned savings, taking out loans or dipping into lines of credit, skipping other bills, and ultimately potentially damaging their credit scores.
Here’s what workers told VICE News about the choices they’re making:
- Kimberlin Allums, a 37-year-old tax examiner for the IRS, didn’t pay her $610 rent in Kansas City last month because “With the one check that we did get before Christmas — and it wasn’t a full check — we’ve been trying to stretch it.” She was handed a notice shortly after that if she didn’t pay, she would be evicted. Now, she’s facing another first of the month without rent money. “I have a daughter. I can’t not feed my child,” she said.
- Sam Baldasano, 38, an air traffic controller in Knoxville, Tennessee, knows his job has zero margin for error. But lately, he’s been distracted at work, thinking about how to pay his mortgage and the medical bills from his 5-month-old’s surgery. “Those are the things that I’m thinking about when I’m sitting in front of a radar scope, controlling thousands of lives throughout the sky,” he said.
- Spencer Monheim, a 27-year-old engineer for NASA who lives in the Bay Area, drained his savings in a move shortly before the shutdown began. He and his wife got through January by eating rice, beans, and ramen in their barren apartment. But facing next month’s bills, he liquidated his retirement account. Now he’ll be able to make it through another month, but he’s worried about other workers without that option. “I’m concerned that on Feb. 1 — what’s going to happen to these people?”
Read more: “I can't not feed my child:" Unpaid Federal workers face painful choices as rent bills loom.
Are you being affected by the government shutdown? Let us know. Call us at 1-888-317-VICE and press 1 to leave us a message, or email us at
vicenewstips@vice.com.
– Emma Ockerman