URGENT: Government Shutdown is Harming Public Servants Like Me
If I lose my civil service job like my partner did earlier this year, we will need your help
My Fellow Democracy Defenders,
I started this Substack to take a stand against fascists. My partner and I are both dedicated civil servants. Earlier this year, the DOGE and MAGA minions fired my partner from her DEI career in federal government. She has struggled to find a new job. We are terrified that I will lose my income during and after this government shutdown. Our kids may have to be pulled out of their schools.
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Let’s keep singing the NO KINGS anthem together as we protest in the streets!
The Human Cost of Congressional Stalemate: Government Shutdowns and the Civil Service
The MAGA government shutdown, born from legislative gridlock over appropriations, represents more than just a symbolic political standoff. They inflict tangible and severe harm upon the very individuals entrusted with carrying out the nation’s essential functions: public servants. While the immediate impact is often felt in furloughs and delayed paychecks, the specter of layoffs and the erosion of morale cast a long shadow over the civil service. It allows fascists like Trump to destabilize a critical component of governance and democracy.
The most direct harm to public servants stems from the immediate cessation of funding. When Congress fails to pass necessary appropriations bills, federal agencies are forced to curtail operations. Non-essential employees are typically furloughed, meaning they are sent home without pay. This decision plunges dedicated individuals into immediate financial distress.
Missed paychecks can lead to an inability to cover rent or mortgage payments, purchase groceries, pay medical bills, or sustain families. Even for essential personnel who must continue working, the reality is often working without immediate compensation, facing uncertainty about when, or even if, back pay will be fully approved. This financial precariousness creates immense stress and anxiety, turning a job meant to provide stability into a source of constant worry.
Beyond the immediate financial blow, government shutdowns sow seeds of deep job insecurity, increasing the potential for significant workforce reductions. While a short shutdown might result in temporary furloughs followed by back pay and reinstatement, prolonged impasses can force agencies to re-evaluate their staffing needs. The disruption highlights vulnerabilities and can be a precursor to deeper budget cuts or mandated reorganizations driven by perceived inefficiencies revealed during the shutdown.
Furthermore, the political dysfunction that leads to a shutdown can erode public and legislative support for government services themselves, making future funding and job security less certain. This climate of instability discourages talented individuals from entering or remaining in public service, potentially leading to a brain drain and a less experienced, less capable civil workforce in the long run.
In essence, government shutdowns create a cascading negative effect. They directly harm public servants by jeopardizing their financial well-being and mental health through furloughs and delayed pay. More insidiously, they foster an environment of chronic job insecurity. In extended or repeated shutdowns, layoffs undermine the stability and attractiveness of a career in civil service. The human cost of these political failures is borne disproportionately by the dedicated civil servants.
I really wish that I could help, but at 83 and living on a small SS there is none to spare. The most that I can do is pray for this to end, not just the shutdown, but this regime, too. I wish that I had the money to help all those in need. If I did, I know that my needs would stay the same and would gladly share what I could. I hope this government comes to it's senses and does the right thing for the people living under it. Unfortunately, I do not think that is going to happen. I feel that it will only get worse. That is such a sad thought. I worry about people not having a job, food on the table and being able to pay their bills. Just basic human rights. We do not have a president that cares about human rights, but only about how much pain he can inflict on these humans. He is not a man of God, but an arm of Satan, someone that can never be reasoned with or made to understand what he is doing to our peoples. He doesn't care. He thinks he is superior to mankind and wants to make himself king of the people and rule with an iron fist. I think the people have another idea in mind and not one of kings ruling, but one of a president that wants the best for his peoples and Country. Stay strong and continue the fight against this vile regime. God Bless you and your family.
Right on!