There are hundreds of thousands of federal government contractors whose livelihoods are being threatened by the political dysfunction in Washington, DC.
Unlike federal employees, contractors typically don’t receive backpay when the government reopens from a shutdown. Low-wage service workers — including cleaners, janitors, security guards, cafeteria workers and other staffers who keep buildings operating — are often out of luck.
This is what some of them told us:
Audrey Murray, 65, has worked as a cleaner at the Smithsonian Museum of American History for nearly three decades.
“It’s so sad that they think they can play with people’s lives,” Murray told CNN while fighting back tears.
“I don’t know how I’m going to feed my kids or pay my mortgage. It’s not about me. I don’t care if I don’t eat, but I want them to,” said Murray.
Tiara Roberts, a single mom in Maryland with three children, is concerned about how she will get by if her contract job providing security at a Smithsonian museum is derailed by the shutdown.
“This affects me to the extreme. It really triggers me,” said Roberts, whose children include a 6-month-old and a 3-year-old. “I have a lot on my plate already, and this is just an added-on stressor.”
Maria Madonado, a single mother of three who lives in New Carrolton, Maryland, told CNN through a translator that her work as a contracted cleaner at the IRS headquarters is being impacted by the shutdown. She fears she won’t be able to pay her bills.
“It’s really strange because you think you’re more secure in a government job than in a regular job,” she said. “And today I realized that’s not the case.”
Read more about how the shutdown is affecting these workers.