Many federal employees still feel uninformed about possible furloughs and are concerned about how they will manage without a paycheck.
At a town hall meeting hosted by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., on Thursday night, government workers and local residents expressed anger and frustration over an impending shutdown. They called Congress' failure to reach a budget agreement "absurd" and "unsatisfactory" and said furloughs are unfair to employees who want to go to work.
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Nearly 100,000 federal employees in the Washington area are likely to be furloughed, Moran said. He also warned that if an agreement is not reached soon, the shutdown could continue into May as lawmakers depart for a spring recess on April 18.
During the town hall, attendees questioned how a shutdown would impact high-three salaries, used to calculate annuity benefits, as well as pay and benefits during a furlough. A presidential management fellow at the Bureau of Land Management said younger employees who haven't had time to develop savings accounts are particularly worried about how to cover costs should a shutdown last for days or weeks.