Single Mom of 2 Isn't Working Because of Government Shutdown and Says She’s Terrified and ‘Not Sleeping’

[Valletta]

https://people.com/mom-not-working-because-government-shutdown-terrified-not-sleeping-11824283

I feel sorry for people who have anxiety. That being said, she should get some basic financial counseling. It if foolish to pull money out of retirement funds because of what might happen in the future. The government has only been shut down for days and she has not missed a paycheck!

 

[Richard T]

https://people.com/mom-not-working-because-government-shutdown-terrified-not-sleeping-11824283

I feel sorry for people who have anxiety. That being said, she should get some basic financial counseling. It if foolish to pull money out of retirement funds because of what might happen in the future. The government has only been shut down for days and she has not missed a paycheck!

I think she is a drama queen. Years with the FDA, A former union President. Just trying to get some sympathy when the fact is she has a chance to get paid for not working. I would take that any day. Every other shutdown has given the workers backpay for the time the shutdown occurred. This one Trump might fire some workers. If we do not need them, then why wait?
Should she worry about her retirement? She likely has three plans at least, maybe another IRA on her own. From AI google. How many in the private sector have a defined-benefit pension, social security and a matching savings plan.

• FERS Basic Annuity: This is the defined-benefit pension that provides a monthly payment for life. The payments are generally smaller than under CSRS, but they are designed to be supplemented by other parts of the plan.
• Social Security: Unlike CSRS employees, FERS employees pay into and receive Social Security benefits.
• Thrift Savings Plan (TSP): This is a 401(k)-style retirement savings and investment plan. The government generally provides an automatic contribution and matching funds to FERS employees' TSP accounts.

 

[Nithavela]

Personally, I think that a government that can "shut down" is fundamentally broken. I don't know any other country where the government regularly "shuts down" except the USA.

 

[Valletta]

Personally, I think that a government that can "shut down" is fundamentally broken. I don't know any other country where the government regularly "shuts down" except the USA.

They have all kinds of strikes in Greece and Italy, I think most of the time just to get time off.

 

[Nithavela]

They have all kinds of strikes in Greece and Italy, I think most of the time just to get time off.

That is an entirely different issue from a government forcing their workers to stop working because it can't pay them.

 

[Larniavc]

https://people.com/mom-not-working-because-government-shutdown-terrified-not-sleeping-11824283

I feel sorry for people who have anxiety. That being said, she should get some basic financial counseling. It if foolish to pull money out of retirement funds because of what might happen in the future. The government has only been shut down for days and she has not missed a paycheck!

I blame those people who would rather shut down the government to sack lots of government workers instead of letting the worse off getting health care.

 

[Larniavc]

That is an entirely different issue from a government forcing their workers to stop working because it can't pay them.

Won’t. Not can’t.

 

[Nithavela]

Won’t. Not can’t.

At this point, I think the inability is so entrenched that it's become a feature.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Personally, I think that a government that can "shut down" is fundamentally broken. I don't know any other country where the government regularly "shuts down" except the USA.

You can thank Reagan for that. He forced his government to shut down through the vile interpretation of a law from the 19th century. The law allowed him to manipulate lawmakers and exercise more control over the budget. This was never the case before.

 

[essentialsaltes]

While she does seem to be over-reacting (but not entirely), this is a fair point.

According to the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, furloughed federal workers are immediately entitled to back pay after a shutdown ends.

“But as we've seen over the past few months, things that are supposed to happen don't happen, or things that are not supposed to happen do happen,” Rogers says. “I believe due to past shutdowns, I will get paid. But do I know that for a certainty? Absolutely not.”

Ordinarily, workers are furloughed in a shutdown, but Trump and his administration have been talking about firing people (the legality of which is highly questionable). If people really are fired, they won't get back pay after the termination date. So she's probably absolutely right to be looking for other work.