By Max Matza

Copyright bbc

Federal employees are expected to be hardest hit, as they will not receive any pay cheque while the shutdown continues.

Some workers may choose to take second jobs, as they have during previous shutdowns. Employees that are not deemed to be essential will be forced to stay home. In the past, these workers have then been paid retrospectively.

Several agencies, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health are likely to furlough many workers, affecting ongoing research and experiments already in progress.

President Donald Trump, who has slashed government spending and cut federal jobs since taking office, warned repeatedly that a shutdown could accelerate further layoffs and allow him to cut services and programs he says are important to Democrats.

Contractors, who work for federal agencies but are not directly employed by the government, will miss out on work, too. These workers historically have not received any backpay, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.