Most House Democrats may be out of town during the government shutdown, but many of their staff in Washington, D.C. are tough at work — and working without pay.
These employees, whose salaries can range from $50,000 to $200,000, are wondering when their bosses will reopen the government while they take out loans and employ funds from their savings account to cover their daily expenses.
Catherine Szpindor, Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives wrote in a memo Last month, he told House staff that their October paycheck, which was supposed to be paid on the 31st, would be delayed pending passage of a funding bill.
The shutdown lasted more than a month and broke the longest record in U.S. history. Although there was cross-party negotiations While we tried to negotiate a possible deal to end the impasse in the Senate this week, nothing was agreed upon.
“Any missed monthly payment of regular payroll will be processed and disbursed as quickly as possible after the enactment of the budget legislation,” the memo said.
The news left House staffers, who are paid only once a month and last received a paycheck on Sept. 30, scrambling.
“My wife and I just got married in June, and I had to use some of the money we had set aside for our wedding to cover our daily expenses, which is not ideal,” said a Democratic staffer who, like all staffers quoted in this story, spoke on condition of anonymity.
The employee noted that the entire situation was stressful, especially with Thanksgiving coming up.
“We’re hosting our family at our home, and it begs the question: Will we be able to do everything we wanted to with Thanksgiving dinner if I don’t get my paycheck?”
A House Republican staffer also said he was dipping into his savings account – money he had set aside to make a down payment on a house in the future.
Many employees have taken out short-term loans from the Congressional Federal Credit Union to support stay afloat. The credit union is offering a holiday relief line of credit of up to $20,000 with 0% interest during the 60-day draw period.
A second House Democratic staffer who said he withdrew $10,000 noted that he would continue doing so for “at least a few months.” But depending on how long the shutdown lasts, employees may look for alternative solutions to make extra money.
“These people are trying to be independent, including myself. For example, do I call my parents? Should I ask for money? It’s so uncomfortable,” the employee said.
The Senate has failed 14 times to advance a Republican stopgap measure, a so-called indefinite resolution, to fund the government through Nov. 21. The measure, rejected by Democrats, passed the House of Representatives in September. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said at a press conference on Tuesday He didn’t think anyone expected the shutdown to “take this long.”
“I don’t see how shutting down the government will benefit them, and that certainly makes me angry. All it would take is getting your conference in a room and getting them to vote yes on our clean continuation resolution,” the Republican staffer said.
But some Democratic lawmakers felt even more emboldened to stick with their shutdown strategy after the party emerged victorious Tuesday in the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey and the mayoral race in New York City.
The victories create “a sense that in many ways this has put some wind in the sails of the Democrats and that we’ve been given a bit of a mandate, so to speak, that they want us to continue fighting this current administration,” said a third House Democratic staffer. “And so, yeah, it’s kind of put more wind in my sails to continue battening down the hatches, trying to live frugally for another month if I have to, and hopefully we’ll be able to find a solution that makes it all worthwhile.”
The Senate is expected to hold a vote on Friday again on the emergency solution. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) then plans to amend it to include a three-bill spending package that was part of negotiations with Democrats.
But it’s not certain whether enough Democrats who have called for health care concessions will accept the deal. Eight members of the Democratic caucus would need to join Republicans to advance the bill. So far only three have crossed the aisle.
But even without a clear end date for the shutdown, employees have still found ways to take a break from work without spending money. A second House Republican staffer said she had started tinkering with items around her house again.
The shutdown is basically all we talk about in the office. That’s all I work on in the office. So it’s like I need a break at some point, right?” said the employee.
A fourth Democratic staffer said he has been spending more time with friends who are furloughed federal employees, exercising and having diminutive picnics.
“I like that the community is more accessible than ever because a lot of people are furloughed… It’s kind of good that way. It’s kind of messed up, but selfishly at least I see my friends more often.”
Al Weaver contributed.
