Local Federal Employees Face Uncertainty

The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history has dragged on for almost four weeks now, and is beginning to affect local citizens.

Kristie Salzmann, a federal employee who is furloughed due to the shutdown, says that the uncertainty is the worst part.

Salzmann says that while they will eventually be getting paid for this time off, that paycheck isn’t anywhere in sight. While she says she personally has some savings, not everyone that she works with was prepared to be without a paycheck.

According to an article in the Billings Gazette, Federal employees who aren’t working during the partial government shutdown are eligible to claim unemployment aid, while those working without pay are not. But they will have to repay the unemployment aid if they receive back pay once the shutdown ends.

Salzmann asked that if there are any organizations who are offering help to the furloughed federal employees during this uncertain time, if they would post on Facebook or advertise in other ways, she knows that would mean a lot to the workers who don’t know when their next paycheck will arrive.