No pay and no relief for KC federal workers
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Thousands of federal workers in the Kansas City metro are missing paychecks, picking up side gigs and turning to food banks as the government shutdown enters its third week.
Why it matters: Many of the metro's roughly 30,000 federal employees have been furloughed since Oct. 1 or are working without pay.
Behind the scenes: Last week, Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kansas) met with IRS, Social Security and other federal workers at Harvesters, a local food bank, to talk about how the shutdown is hitting Kansas Citians.
- "I'm driving Uber at night so I can feed my 15-year-old son," said Daniel Scharpenburg, vice president of National Treasury Employees Union Local 66.
- "We're worried there will be another round of these notices if this shutdown goes on," he said, noting at least three IRS employees in Kansas City have received layoff notices.
What they're saying: "It's outrageous that families are being pushed to the edge just because Congress won't do its job," Davids tells Axios. "No one should have to choose between feeding their kids and serving their country."
State of play: Local nonprofits say the ripple effect is already appearing.
- Harvesters, which serves 26 counties in Kansas and Missouri, is bracing for increased demand. The food bank says food insecurity is already up 10% from a year ago.
- Stronghold Food Pantry at Fort Leavenworth reported to KCUR a 300% increase in demand this month among military families and federal employees.
- Unions such as American Federation of Government Employees Local 1748 and NTEU Local 66 are coordinating with community partners to connect workers to relief funds and services, Scharpenburg said.
The other side: GOP leaders say they won't support reopening the government without larger spending cuts. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said "this gets real," referring to a Republican plan to rescind, or cancel, billions in already-approved funding as a condition for ending the shutdown.
What's next: The Senate is set to vote Wednesday on a House-approved funding bill — a decision that could restore paychecks for federal employees or leave them waiting again.