With the government shutdown officially reaching its 19th day, many people are wondering what federal employees are doing during the government shutdown. In light of this, there are some answers which may quench the curiosity of concerned individuals.

A Briefing of the Government Shutdown

On Friday, December 21, 2018, the government shutdown. This occurred after President Trump and Democratic leaders failed to reach agreements on border security and government funding. Although the shutdown has officially reached the 19-day milestone, no meaningful progress has occurred.

Both sides remain steadfast in their convictions. The president is determined to obtain funding for his promised border wall. Democrat leaders, on the other hand, are dead set against providing the aforementioned funding. In fact, as the shutdown lingers on, Democrats are now faulting President Trump; according to them, the president is holding federal workers as hostages. Of course, opinions on this matter greatly vary across the nation.

The Current State of Federal Employees

It goes without saying that many federal employees are in a tough spot. Due to the shutdown of the government, they are not receiving their paychecks. This can be problematic, especially for workers who live paycheck-to-paycheck and do not have money set aside.

According to WHNT News, federal workers may qualify for various loans and unemployment. Tara Hutchison, the communications director of the Alabama Department of Labor, has provided additional details regarding this matter.

Her statements read as follows:

"You need to have lost your job or not be working due to no fault of your own. You have to have enough time working for your employer and applicable base wages. However, those people would be able to contact the department and work out a payment plan. We do this all the time so that they can pay that back on a monthly basis if necessary."

Other Options for Federal Employees

At this point in time, there is no end in sight for the government shutdown. As a matter of fact, if it continues on its current trajectory, it could become the longest shutdown thus far. Therefore, federal employees would do well to take certain steps to protect themselves financially. This may require taking on short-term, contractual work; that can be done via freelance job sites such as Upwork or Fiverr.