A shutdown that would halt pay for military families and government workers comes at a particularly precarious time for many households that are already struggling financially.

With six kids under the age of 15 to support, Stephen Booth, a police officer for the Air Force in Kansas, doesn’t have room in his budget for a missed paycheck.

But like millions of other government employees across the country, Booth is bracing for his pay to stop indefinitely at the end of the month as Congress careers toward a government shutdown.

House Republicans left Thursday unable to reach a compromise within their ranks over a new budget, including funds for the Defense Department, with a handful of conservative holdouts demanding additional spending cuts. Unless Congress acts, the federal government will not be able to pay its 4 million employees after Sept. 30.

  • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The best part is congress will keep getting paid. So, no skin off their back shutting down the government.

    Everything the government can’t agree on laying its bills we should fire them all and elect an entirely new congress. It’s completely unacceptable to be doing this every few years.

    • whodatdair@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      It’s even more fucked then that - none of the shitheads that are doing this actually urgently need their paycheck from their job.

      The crazies that are causing this are all rich enough that they’d be fine if they got paid later once the shutdown is over. They don’t know the concept of living paycheck to paycheck, they’ve always had a pool of money in reserve.

    • TenderfootGungi@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Most do not make the majority of their money from their government paycheck. Wild how they can get elected and suddenly make millions.

      • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yeah, it’s super scummy that people can do that. Happens to a good portion of congress people. A lot of insider trading going on too.

    • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The need to pass the MCCARTHYS Act

      Aka My Constituents Cannot Afford Rebellious Tantrum, Handle Your Shutdown Act,

      Which would halt congressional pay during shutdown.