A sign on the entrance to the National Gallery of Art alerts visitors that it is closed due to the government shutdown in Washington on November 4, 2025. The federal government shutdown has entered its second month. Since partisan gridlock sent the US government into shutdown on October 1, many federal workers have gone without paychecks, and millions of Americans are increasingly caught in the crossfire of a lack of basic federal services. Image: Gent Shkullaku/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
By: FEDweek StaffSigns of strain on federal employees and the services they provide to the public continue to grow, although there still is no indication of an end soon to a shutdown that has now set the unwanted record as the longest ever.
On the employee side, more than 1 million are receiving this week a second payless pay distribution, covering the two weeks ending November 1, after receiving only a partial one in early October covering only through September 30. Employees are reporting effects including turning to side jobs, missing rent and loan payments and/or adding high-cost credit card debt—in both cases with potential damage to their credit ratings—and turning to food assistance centers.
The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund has now stopped issuing $150 “shutdown assistance” grants, having exhausted the $1 million it had available, and the TSP has seen an increase in loan and hardship withdrawal applications (although noting that reasons other than the shutdown also have an effect on such requests).
As the shutdown passed the 30 day mark, many agencies issued new notices of furloughs for up to 30 days that in some cases were silent regarding whether they will be entitled to back pay once funding is restored–in contrast to the original ones that stated that they would be paid—further raising furloughed employees’ anxiety.
That change reflects the administration’s view that a 2019 law intended to guarantee back pay to those kept at home without pay does no such thing—contrary to the views of legal experts and members of Congress of both parties who have addressed the issue. However, to be sure, Congress may need to specifically require payment as part of any law ending the shutdown. That was done as a matter of practice, although not legally required, in shutdowns before 2019.
There further is some bipartisan support in Congress for immediately paying back pay and ongoing pay, even as the shutdown continues, to at least those employees who have remained on the job but unpaid—with apparent room for agreement on extending that to those on furlough. However, a partisan disagreement apparently remains over whether to also block agencies from permanently laying off employees by citing the shutdown.
No compromise bill has emerged in the Senate and there are no scheduled votes there this week on one.
The Senate however is continuing to hold test votes on a Republican-backed temporary funding bill that passed the House in September and a Democratic alternative, even after having failed more than a dozen times to find the 60 votes needed to pass either. Another such vote is scheduled for this week.
The House has remained out of session since passing its bill as a means of pressuring the Senate to accept it. However, that bill would reopen the government only until November 21—eight weeks into the future when it passed there, but now less than three. Should a breakthrough occur, that date likely would be pushed back until mid or late December.
Even amid the deadlock, there are forces that potentially could help bring about a resolution. As happened in the shutdown that had set the prior record of 34 full days over late 2018 to early 2019, employees unable to afford the costs of commuting are increasingly calling in sick, with a growing impact in areas such as air travel.
Another high-visibility impact was the exhaustion of funding for the SNAP program at the start of this month that provides food-buying assistance for more than 40 million people. Courts have ordered the administration to tap an emergency fund, but that cover only part of the needed amount. Some states are acting to fill the gap, but those actions will be only temporary.
Further, both parties were looking to use any favorable results from Tuesday’s off-year elections against the other—even though to date, such finger-pointing by each has not shifted public opinion enough to force the other to change its stance.
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See also,
Calculating Service Credit for Sick Leave At Retirement
FERS Supplement vs The 10% Pension Bonus
How Your FERS, Social Security and TSP Payments Get Taxed
Where Should I Put My TSP in Retirement
