Federal workers don't want a shutdown, but some are OK with it
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
If it takes a government shutdown to change what's happening to their agencies, some federal workers say: Bring it on.
Why it matters: These employees say they would not support closing the federal government under normal circumstances, given that they lose pay. This time, however, they feel they've been under siege all year and are just out of options.
Zoom in: "I really don't want the government to shut down, but we're experiencing the biggest crisis in government in our lifetimes, and the only way out of that is for Congress to stand up and reassert its power," Mark Histed, who works at the National Institutes of Health, tells Axios.
- His agency has been hit particularly hard by White House cuts: both job losses and funding cuts for research.
- "I don't want a shutdown, but would welcome it if that means the government I signed up to work for starts responsibly functioning again," an EPA worker tells Axios — one of many who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.
- "At this point it's the lesser of two evils," says a Department of Interior employee. "President Trump has been dismantling the federal workforce since day one and giving him a blank check to continue is worse."
- In a letter sent to Congressional leaders earlier this month, hundreds of federal workers urged Democrats to stand up to the White House.
Yes, but: There are millions of federal employees, and not all of them welcome more disruption. Many would get sent home with no pay; others would be asked to work for no paycheck. Many live check to check.
- Federal worker unions have put out statements opposing closure.
Reality check: A shutdown is unlikely to improve employees' prospects, Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit that advocates to improve the federal government, said in a call with reporters Monday.
- "I understand the sentiment, but I don't think this is a path that will lead to the resolution of a very real problem."
- Democrats' main point of contention in reaching a deal ahead of the deadline is health care — not the security of government employees.
By the numbers: On Wednesday, 150,000 federal employees who took deferred resignation, the "fork in the road" buyout offer, will be off the government's payrolls.
- The shutdown could complicate the process of getting them the paperwork they need to get final paychecks, health care and unemployment benefits, Stier said.
- An additional 100,000 federal workers have left the government this year through mass firings, voluntary retirement or resignations.
- By the end of the year, the White House expects a total of 300,000 will have left.
Between the lines: A shutdown is likely to push more to the exits; some workers told Axios it would be the last straw.
Threat level: In past government shutdowns, federal workers who were furloughed knew that they would receive backpay, and did.
- This time, there's less certainty.
- Plus, the White House is threatening mass firings.
- "The prospect of a shutdown isn't scary, it's the threats that are now coming with it," a current IRS employee tells Axios. "It really just feels like attack upon attack."
The intrigue: There's skepticism that federal agencies actually want more firings.
- Some are operating at bare bones already and don't want to lose more employees.
- Many agencies have hired back fired workers — others have invited those who took deferred resignations to come back.
What's next: The deadline for a deal to avert a shutdown is midnight Tuesday.
