Frustration Mounts For Furloughed US Government Workers As Shutdown Drags On

Frustration Mounts for Furloughed US Government Workers as Shutdown Drags On

Scores of federal employees in the United States expressed frustration with their elected officials on Friday after they did not receive their paychecks due to the government shutdown, with many taking to social media to vent their frustrations

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2019) Scores of Federal employees in the United States expressed frustration with their elected officials on Friday after they did not receive their paychecks due to the government shutdown, with many taking to social media to vent their frustrations.

"I'm filing for unemployment [benefits]. When in history did America allow NASA scientists (as well as the rest of its federal workforce) to go on unemployment due to lack of leadership in Washington? Is this how we're supposed to make America 'Great Again?'" James Ecker, a computer scientist at NASA, said in a Twitter post.

Ecker is one of more than 80,000 federal government employees who were not paid this week due to an ongoing government shutdown. About half of the federal workers affected were sent home when the shutdown began on December 22, while the others continue to work without knowing when they will receive their next paycheck.

Many of the workers expressed a sense of outrage after they received paychecks for $0. "Got my first $0 pay stub today," Raymond Adams, an Air Traffic Controller, wrote in a Twitter post.

The urgency of having to work without pay or make ends meet without receiving a paycheck has stirred a sense of anger toward the country's politicians.

"I am not on strike. I was furloughed against my will. I am against spending tax payer money on a wall. I am not on strike demanding a wall. I would very much like to go back to work," Ecker wrote in an earlier Twitter post.

His frustration has been echoed by many government workers in recent weeks. Some have taken to Twitter to share their stories under the nationally trending hashtag #ShutdownStories.

"I want to go back to work. I DON'T WANT A WALL!!! I'm the sole income supporter for my family. Mortgage Co. won't work with me. May lose my home and the thought of having to stand in line for food is a embarrassing," said Terry Owens, a furloughed federal worker.

A number of federal employees have been venting their outrage directly at US politicians, tagging leaders such as President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in their Tweets.

"Is it just me or is the House of Representatives the only branch of government working this week?! @senatemajldr get your act together!" Linday Lou, the wife of a Coast Guard worker who has not been paid during the shutdown, wrote in a public Twitter message aimed at McConnell.

Saturday will mark day 22 of the partial government shutdown, making it the longest forced closure of the federal government in history. The dispute stems from President Donald Trump's demand for money to build a wall along the US border with Mexico, as well as Democrats' refusal to provide the funds.

Trump argues that a wall is needed at a time when border officials are blocking more than 60,000 illegal aliens from entering the United States each month, more than half of them children, according to US immigration officials.

Democrats claim that physical barriers are ineffective and that Trump has engineered a fake crisis for political gain.

As the weekend approaches, Trump is threatening to declare a national emergency - a move that would allow the president to order US troops to build a wall on the country's border with Mexico using Defense Department funds.

If such a declaration is made later on Friday, the government could conceivably reopen before midnight, short of setting a new record. But most analysts anticipate a flood of lawsuits as Trump and Democrats in Congress continue to battle over the proposed barrier.