Government workers have expressed various reactions about the ongoing partial government shut down going on its 33rd day and counting.
Senator Ben Cardin, on CNN, said that have federal workers, very patriotic people doing public service who show up for work every day even though they’re not getting paid ‘‘carrying out critical missions to our national security and public safety and here they have to go in a food line to get food because they don’t have money to buy food’’. The Senator added that ‘‘it was heart-wrenching’’ to meet federal workers who have been pushed to seek aid at food banks, who have not received their second paycheck and are affected by the shutdown.
He further added that ‘‘the shutdown is wrong’’ but maintains he won’t ‘‘support the President’s proposal’’ to re-open government because he disagrees his ideas on border security and immigration reform.
Others like Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross made a statement, Thursday, that he didn’t understand why some federal workers were resorting to food banks when they could take out guaranteed loans. Hundreds of banks and credit unions agree with the viewpoint and have offered almost no-interest loans against back pay to federal workers who will not be paid.
And Senator Mike rounds, who was interviewed, during the Thursday interview commented on the earlier mentioned statement that it was not ‘‘palatable’’ for federal workers to take out loans for financial assistance during the government shutdown and suggested that members of Congress should not be eligible for back pay if the government shutdown should reoccur.
Civilians, such as Chef José Andrés, have also reacted to the government shutdown. The chef has been serving free meals daily to federal workers in Washington. Even the churches are reaching out, as an Alabama church handed out $16,500 to hundreds of federal workers severely affected by the shutdown.
