A little over a week into the government shutdown, employees across numerous federal agencies are facing significant lifestyle changes as their departments are furloughed or closed. These agencies include the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor, the State Department, the Department of Energy, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Education, among others. Though there have been reports of the impact of these employees working without pay on a grand scale, many workers are unable to fully express their feelings due to internal policies and non-disclosure agreements.
“With my job, we are usually not affected by the shutdown, but this year will be the first time that passport services are affected by the shutdown,” a passport specialist in Washington, DC, told EBONY. The source continued by explaining that while they can request to be part of the furlough, there is no guarantee they will be issued back pay; however, they will be issued pay for using their annual or sick leave after the shutdown concludes.
According to Axios, a memo from the Office of Management and Budget noted that federal workers may not receive back pay despite the 2019 Guaranteed Employee Fair Treatment Act, which President Trump initially signed during the last government shutdown. The White House’s response to this approach has been that Congress must designate funds in its budget for this purpose, a position Senator Murray contested.
In response to the government shutdown, Atlanta’s civic leaders have committed to providing full-time TSA employees at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with a relief package that includes free parking and meal vouchers beginning on October 11, 2025, as they are some of the 50,000 TSA workers going without pay at this time. “Each agency has a reserve of money to pay employees, and once that is out, then we will see the impacts of this shutdown,” a federally contracted engineer based in Virginia said when asked about misconceptions that the public may have about the shutdown that may not be true.
“A misconception I think people have about the government shutdown is that only certain jobs are affected, from the news features such as TSA, air traffic control, and national parks, but we are affected too, along with other bureaus of the Department of State,” the passport specialist added.
With 2.9 million people in the federal workforce, according to USA Today, the impact of this shutdown may not be immediate but unfold over time, pending what decision lawmakers make and what next steps the presidential administration takes. This year’s government shutdown comes as a result of Congress being unable to reach a budget decision apart from their annual realignment to properly appropriate bills. At this time, it is unclear when the shutdown will conclude.