Jan 17, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Over 1,500 GoFundMe campaigns have been launched by federal workers

Khorri Atkinson

Government workers protest the government shutdown during a demonstration in the Federal Building Plaza last week in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Federal workers struggling financially during the government shutdown have launched more than 1,500 crowdfunding campaigns seeking to pay for rent, mortgages, medical expenses and food, GoFundMe spokeswoman Katherine Cichy told CNN on Thursday.

Details: Cichy told CNN that the campaigns have altogether raised more than $300,000 so far. Many of the campaigns were launched in early January when it became clear workers may begin to miss paychecks.

Yes, but: Under current law, it’s illegal for federal employees to supplement their salaries with outside income, per CNN.

Walter Shaub, the former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, told CNN that the GoFundMe accounts could be murky legally and that while the OGE "could issue an opinion clarifying the government's views on this," the office is currently closed as a result of the shutdown.

Go deeper: All the ways Americans are feeling the effects of the shutdown

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Over 1,500 GoFundMe campaigns have been launched by federal workers

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