WASHINGTON D.C. – As the government shutdown drags on, many furloughed workers are left without a two-week paycheck and with concerns about how they will put food on the table and pay bills.
What we know:
After seven failed attempts, the Senate will not vote again this week and lawmakers aren’t expected back until Tuesday. The shutdown will stretch into another week.
About 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed since the shutdown began a week ago. Friday marks the first day furloughed workers will go without a two-week paycheck.
Lawmakers have until Monday, Oct. 15, to process military payments, or servicemembers may not get paid as well.
What you can do:
With no end in sight, many are starting to grow worried about how they will make ends meet.
Many furloughed workers in the DMV are living paycheck to paycheck and will not receive a paycheck until after the shutdown has come to an end. And even that is in limbo, after an OMB memo earlier this week claimed that backpay for federal workers is not guaranteed, despite a 2019 law.
In the meantime, local governments and companies are stepping up their efforts to help furloughed federal workers with things such as food and bills during this time.
Assistance with food
D.C. :
Capital Area Food Bank CEO Radha Muthiah says, “We are here to help you. “And our network is here to support you. We’re a community that takes care of one another.”
If you have concerns about food insufficiency, go to capitalareafoodbank.org to find a distribution site near you.
Maryland :
Maryland food bank says, “Our network of community partner organizations will be able to provide nutritious food at no cost to federal employees, people who work for federal contractors, and other individuals impacted by the shutdown.”
Please visit the Maryland Food Bank’s Find Food search tool to locate a food pantry in your area.
Virginia :
Local food pantries in Virginia have prepared themselves for the spike in demand as the shutdown continues.
The Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center holds a food distribution every 1st and 3rd Friday at its Chester location. Several distributions are also held throughout the month at other locations.
Assistance with money and bills
D.C. :
Pepco, the major electric company in the capital region, is offering payment plans to help fed workers pay their bills.
“We’re offering flexible payment arrangements, so that basically means that a customer can sign up for this, and it stretches that bill out into payment arrangements for up to a year so that helps,” Pepco spokesperson Chuck McDade said.
If you would like to be a helping hand, Pepco has made it easier through, “The Gift of Energy,” which will allow anyone to make a payment toward a friend or family member’s energy bill, if they’re having trouble making that payment themselves.
Maryland :
If you’re an essential federal employee working during a federal government shutdown without pay, you may be eligible for a one-time, no-interest loan through Maryland’s Federal Shutdown Loan Program.
The Federal Shutdown Loan Program offers a zero-interest $700 loan to applicants who are residents of the state of Maryland, are current federal employees; and are designated as “excepted” employees, who must work through the shutdown without pay.
The loan is to be repaid within 45 days after the shutdown ends.
The online application portal is open now.
Prince George’s County Council is set to take up the Federal Worker Emergency Assistance Act on Tuesday.
The legislation would offer priority hiring in county government for laid-off federal workers, incentives for local businesses to hire them, and expanded food assistance for affected families.
Virginia :
Officials are reminding federal workers of state laws feds from eviction or foreclosure during a shutdown.
Federal employees and contractors can’t be evicted or foreclosed on during a federal government shutdown, under state law.
The City is offering short-term relief opportunities and resources, and connecting impacted residents and businesses to available resources.
