It’s supposed to be payday for many federal workers. Instead, they get nothing

The scene was stunning in Prince George’s County, Maryland, which is home to more than 60,000 federal workers: Middle-class professionals lined up To get boxes of pasta, protein and produce to feed their families.

After a two-hour wait, Wanda Bright finally made it to the front of the line – just as the first batch of supplies ran out.

The Capital Region Food Bank started the day with 300 boxes, enough for 150 government employees to get two boxes each. It turns out the need was greater.

Fortunately, reinforcements were called, and cheers erupted as the second truck returned to the shopping center parking lot. Bright sighed in relief as volunteers delivered bread and other supplies to help her family through the week.

"Many of us suffer from stress, which negatively affects our mental health." says Bright, one of an estimated 700,000 federal workers across the U.S. who have been furloughed, meaning they are not working at the moment. "Some people can handle this. A lot of people can’t."

For many federal workers, Friday is supposed to be payday. Instead, they get nothing. There is no partial pay. No sign on When can their salaries resume.

At the same time, the Trump administration has been able to move money around to ensure that some people get paid, especially those doing work deemed critical to President Trump’s priorities.

"We’ve got the people we want to pay, okay?" Trump said at the White House last week.

1.4 million goes without pay

In all, there are about 1.4 million federal civilian employees across the country without pay, According to the Bipartisan Policy Centera think tank in Washington, D.C., nearly half of them took a leave of absence. The other half was deemed essential and therefore continues to operate.

For many people in both groups, the delay in congressional appropriations has imposed new financial pressures in an already difficult year.

"This whole fiscal year – 2025 – I’ve been worried about my job, worried about getting a RIF," says Jay, an NIH leave worker, referring to: Reductions in force, or layoffswhich has already hit a number of agencies. "It was draining, emotionally draining. Now reality sets in when you don’t get your checks and need to provide for your family."

Jay, who asked that only his first name be used for fear of losing his job, carried his two boxes away from the food distribution site in a stroller. He has a 1-year-old and a 5-year-old waiting for him at home.

In Tampa, Florida, Tierra Carter It still continues to workanswer calls made to the Social Security Administration 1-800 number. Carter, who works as a union representative for the American Federation of Government Employees, says the lack of a paycheck forced her to take out loans and seek hardship withdrawals from her 401(k).

"I feel like I’m in a pool and I’m trying to swim to the top, but every time I get to the middle, I fall back down." She says.

Providing assistance to pay bills

Many federal employees earn less than $90,000 a year — 43 percent, according to an analysis of March 2024 government data by the research institute. Pew Research Center. Even those who earn more can see bills pile up quickly.

Credit unions, where many federal employees do their banking, have begun offering some financial assistance. By Wednesday, Iowa-based Veridian Credit Union had approved more than $55,000 "Government loans provided" – Interest-free short-term loans – for 32 members affected by the closure. It also processed 80 without fees "Delay pays" For members. Likewise, Denver-based Westera Credit Union and Redwood Credit Union in Northern California have each provided nearly $100,000 in interest-free, short-term loans to members, with more requests coming in every day.

In Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, the Washington D.C. Council’s community services agency, AFL-CIO, has been providing emergency financial support through the federal Workers’ Solidarity Fund since February. But in recent days, requests for help with groceries, rent, mortgage payments and utility bills have soared, says Sage Milos, the organization’s director.

Thursday morning, Milos woke up to 20 new requests for help that had arrived in her inbox overnight. With no end to the lockdown in sight, she expects this trend to continue.

"Which also means that, unfortunately, our money is quickly dwindling," She says.

The lockdown is starting to impact communities

Because nearly two-thirds of the federal civilian workforce is still working despite the expiration of annual appropriations, the closure may not be obvious to many Americans.

But the longer it lasts, the more the public begins to feel its economic effects, says Shai Akabas, vice president for economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Indeed, Akabas says, there may be a grocery store next to a federal building that doesn’t get as much traffic, or a daycare that sees fewer kids showing up because their parents have time off. Over time, societies that have Higher densities of federal workers We could see less spending overall.

"Not everyone feels it yet, but it is actually affecting the broader economy," Akabes says.

While Congress passed a law in 2019 ensuring federal workers would be paid after the shutdown ends, Trump recently suggested that furloughed workers should not rely on it.

"We’re going to see," Trump said a week after the shutdown. "Most of them will get their salaries again, and we will try to make sure of that. But some of them are so badly damaged by Democrats that they won’t qualify."

The Trump administration is finding ways to pay some federal employees

Across the government, many federal employees are still getting paid as usual during the shutdown. The salaries of some federal employees, including the vast majority of those working at the Department of Veterans Affairs, do not come from appropriations that Congress must approve each year.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has also engaged in what White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has described as a “disruption process.” "Budget hurricane" in Interview on Charlie Kirk Show.

Active-duty military personnel got their paychecks on schedule last week, after the Department of Defense backed down Unused R&D funds To find money.

The salaries of about 70,000 law enforcement officers at the Department of Homeland Security are now being paid from funds allocated to the department in a tax and spending bill introduced by Trump last summer. However, many of their colleagues are not getting paid — and likely won’t until the shutdown ends — creating an unlevel playing field among federal employees that gets more tilted as the shutdown continues.

Copyright 2025, NPR