By Editor,Kelly Garino

Copyright dailymail

Federal employees have been left feeling ‘terrified’ and ‘disoriented’ as a potential government shutdown approaches.

Congress remains deadlocked over federal funding, and if no agreement is reached by October 1 – the start of the new fiscal year – the government will face a full-scale shutdown.

Democrats have demanded extending health insurance subsidies that help keep costs down, rolling back Medicaid cuts from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and restoring funding for public media that was cut in an earlier budget package.

But the president cancelled talks with Democratic leaders, dismissing their demands as ‘unserious’ and saying any discussion would be ‘unproductive.’

The White House instead issued a memo on Wednesday, urging federal agencies to ‘use this opportunity’ to prepare for fast-tracked mass layoffs.

Now, employees nationwide face uncertainty over which programs will lose funding in a shutdown due to misalignment with Trump’s priorities – and whether they’ll be one of the unlucky ones placed on furlough or ordered to work without pay.

‘I’m absolutely terrified about going through the same thing all over again,’ an unidentified federal worker, who was recently fired and rehired amid DOGE cuts, told CNN.

‘This kind of treatment is inhumane,’ they added. ‘I don’t even know how to prepare for the complete unknown.’

Another anonymous employee, identifying as a ‘middle-class American and mother,’ said she feels ‘disregarded and abandoned’ by the latest shutdown threats – and uncertain how to prepare for the possibility of not receiving a paycheck.

‘I’ll go home today and take stock of my budget and pantry and make sure my family can ride out the next month or more, of whatever is coming,’ she told the outlet.

‘And then tomorrow, I’ll get up and come to work and do my best for America, until they tell me I can’t come to work anymore.’

Alex Berman, an IRS employee and leader of the National Treasury Employees Union, described a ‘constant state of fearful uncertainty,’ adding that this potential shutdown feels chillingly different from those in previous years.

‘The added complication is that this might be used as a pretext to tell people that they don’t have a job anymore – and that isn’t how the system is supposed to work,’ Berman told CNN.

‘Federal employees are largely middle class,’ he added. ‘We’re wondering if our families will have a Christmas this year.’

An employee at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shared with the outlet how, with a growing family at home, they’ve already started cutting back on non-essential spending this summer in preparation for a possible shutdown this fall.

During the government’s record-breaking 35-day shutdown in December 2018 – which left nearly 800,000 employees without pay for weeks – the worker said they had to rely on their parents and local community just to get by.

‘This puts a huge strain on me and my family,’ they told CNN. ‘With a career that already is one of the most stressful jobs, lets just add a huge amount of stress on top of that.’

Dave Demas, a correctional officer at the high-security US Penitentiary Canaan in Pennsylvania, said he’s considering a personal loan to cover car payments and rent, depending on the shutdown’s duration.

He explained that he and his wife will do everything they can to prevent the shutdown from disrupting their two daughters’ afterschool activities.

‘We’re going to do our best to keep their lives running the same, but mine might change drastically,’ the father said.

A General Services Administration worker and military veteran of over 20 years admitted to actively searching for private-sector opportunities – seeking stability in the face of relentless uncertainty.

‘It’s very challenging to stay motivated and on this career path,’ the employee told the outlet. ‘It’s just too much mentally.’

At the Department of Education – an agency Trump has sought to shut down entirely – employees said that they feel ‘at a loss to understand or predict’ what the coming days will bring.

‘We are all being kept on our toes,’ an employee added.

Bonita Williams, a contractor at State Department headquarters, said that although she kept her job during the last shutdown, ‘it was a struggle.’

‘My children work for the federal government, so if they are furloughed, I’m going to have to give my kids money. Last time around, some of my kids went to food banks,’ Williams, who typically doesn’t receive backpay as a contractor, told the outlet.

‘I can’t prepare,’ she added. ‘I’m living paycheck to paycheck.’

Right now, Republicans and Democrats are in a standoff over a short-term funding bill that would keep the government running while they negotiate a longer-term deal.

Last week, the Senate rejected competing stopgap proposals to avoid a shutdown, after the Republican-controlled House narrowly passed a bill that nearly all Democrats opposed.

Congressional Democrats are now under growing pressure to stand their ground and use their Senate votes to push for key demands, including healthcare protections and public funding.

But Republicans aren’t budging.

Senate majority leader John Thune told CNN that the Democrats’ requests – particularly around healthcare – were ‘completely unhinged, unreasonable, and unserious.’

On Thursday, Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, said government employees have ‘already suffered immensely’ this year under the Trump administration, as reported by The Guardian.

She specifically called out the deep cuts to the federal workforce, stressing that employees ‘are not pawns for the president’s political games.’

While Democrats blame congressional Republicans for the looming shutdown, the Trump administration is pointing the finger back at them.

Trump claimed a shutdown is exactly what the Democratic party wants, stating during a Thursday news conference, ‘They never change’.

A senior official for the administration told the outlet: ‘It’s unfortunate Democrats have decided to instigate a government shutdown by opposing a clean government funding extension.’

‘Their unreasonable and insane demands, like healthcare for illegal aliens and funding for NPR, will be directly responsible for this outcome,’ they added.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reaffirmed the party’s resolve at the conference, declaring that Democrats ‘will not be intimidated’ by the threats.

If the government does shut down – either partially or fully – essential operations like Social Security, military duties, immigration enforcement and air traffic control will continue, though other services may be delayed or disrupted.

Shutdowns can be broad and long-lasting, with past closures affecting national parks, museums, air travel, food safety inspections and immigration hearings.

And while the wider economy may seem untouched at first, experts warn that a prolonged shutdown could trigger a dangerous slowdown, shake markets to their core and ultimately shatter public trust in government.