WASHINGTON — Like many parents, Aimee Storm and Ted Westervelt asked their children to make Christmas lists as the holiday season approaches. But the couple is unsure they will have the money to buy presents as their income remains in limbo.
They joined other furloughed government workers on Monday afternoon at Canal Park for free meals from World Central Kitchen.
Storm and Westervelt are among the approximately 700,000 federal workers who have been furloughed since the second-longest U.S. government shutdown began Oct. 1. Many missed a paycheck for the first time Friday.
The American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents the most federal workers in the nation, called for Congress on Monday to pass a funding bill immediately.
Yet the shutdown is nearing the one-month mark with no resolution in sight. Furloughed workers said they don’t know how they will pay their bills, let alone what they’ll do for the holidays.
“If you don’t have any income right now, you can’t make any plans at all,” Westervelt said.
Adding to nationwide financial pressures, the Department of Agriculture said it could not afford to issue federal food aid for November due to the shutdown.
Over 42 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for food stamps. Some furloughed workers have turned to food banks instead.
World Central Kitchen is one of many organizations distributing food to federal workers. Somer Hill, who was furloughed from the Department of Agriculture, stopped by Canal Park on Monday for a free lunch before picking up her three children from school.
“We’re getting to the point of not knowing how far the food that we have in the house is going to stretch,” Hill said.
Unlike Storm and Westervelt, Hill and her husband have been able to buy Christmas presents. But she said that’s only because they began their shopping much earlier than usual.
Hill, who was also furloughed under the 35 day-long government shutdown from December 2018 to January 2019, said an administration’s first year is always unpredictable.
“Of course, we didn’t expect it to be like this,” she said.
Other federal workers, like Library of Congress contractor Kelly Shand, are being furloughed for the first time with no back pay.
An avid baker, Shand is not able to afford as many presents — and ingredients — as usual.
“People will be getting fewer Christmas cookies this year,” Shand said.
Lack of pay may also prevent workers from traveling for the holidays. Along with delaying gift shopping, Storm said she’s postponed making plans to visit family.
And furloughed employee Tori Collins, who works in the Department of Transportation, said she doesn’t know if she can afford to pay her parents’ travel fees this year.
“It’s frustrating,” Collins said. “This is the time of the year that we’re supposed to be celebrating as a country.”
Those constraints come on top of significant air traffic controller shortages, which have contributed to thousands of flight delays nationwide.
Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks often produce some of the busiest air travel days of the year. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the coming months won’t be any different.
“We fear there will be significant flight delays, disruptions and cancellations in major airports across the country this holiday season,” Leavitt said Thursday in a White House press briefing.
But despite the government’s “lack of urgency” to address the shutdown, Collins said food distribution events like the World Central Kitchen’s help boost morale among furloughed workers.
Somer Hill’s husband, Tae Hill, remains optimistic his family can celebrate the holidays amidst financial strains.
“We’ll find a way,” he said. “We’ll make it happen.”
