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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Thousands of federal workers are feeling the financial strain as the government shutdown stretches past a month, leaving many furloughed or working without pay in what is expected to become the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown began Oct. 1 as lawmakers in Washington D.C. are in a stalemate over a federal budget bill. The record for the longest shutdown is expected to be tied on Tuesday evening after 35 days have passed, matching the mark set during President Donald Trump's first term in 2019. That stalemate, has caused Daniel Scharpenburg, first Vice President of the NTEU Chapter 66 for the Internal Revenue Service in Kansas City, to be furloughed and face financial uncertainty. Scharpenburg said there are approximately 6,000 employees that work at the IRS building in Kansas City, with many being furloughed. He works in the collections department where he has processed payment plan requests for 16 years. He was put into furlough status on Oct. 6, five days after the shutdown began. "I really felt disrespected, like the work we do doesn't matter, Scharpenburg said. "It was really stressful to not get paid on that day, when we count on these checks to come every two weeks, it was still a shocked to look at the bank account and have that not be there," "I did exhaust all the savings that I had. I've been building up savings for a little while," Scharpenburg said. "My bills are going to start coming due, so I had to get something." Without a source of income for the past month, Scharpenburg has relied on food banks such as KC Eats, which was established last month, and the organization Harvesters, which provides personal hygiene products. With his savings nearly gone, Scharpenburg has been forced to look for ways to stay financially stable. "I have gone to every one of my bills and asked them to defer payments. Some of them have and other ones have not," He said. "Thankfully, I don't have to pay rent right now. That is deferred until the end of the shutdown, but some of those other ones are not going to do that for me," His credit card and phone bill are two bills he says have been deferred, but his car payment was not because he cannot get a hold of the company, making it his biggest stressor. For a temporary source of income, Scharpenburg has been hired to work in a warehouse for a company he did not want to name. He says unemployment wasn't an option, due to not wanting to pay it back to the state and having a debt. His coworkers have also found other ways to make ends meet. "I know one person that's going and selling plasma twice a week." I kind of worry about health implications of doing that all the time, but we got to do whatever we got to do," Scharpenburg said. When asked about the possibility of losing his job permanently if the shutdown continues, Scharpenburg said he's not sure what he would do. "I'm trying not to think about htat because I don't know what I'm doing to do. I have a 16-year career, that's a pretty good sizes career, right?" Scharpenburg said. "I'm middle-aged, I don't know that I'm equipped to learn how to do anything else, I don't want to start over." Scharpenburg says the responsibility lies with Congress, and he hopes lawmakers will act soon so federal employees can return to work. “I feel like Congress has a duty to avoid this kind of thing happening. I think they have a duty to get us reopened,” he said. “I feel like we’re disrespected, devalued, and scapegoated right now by various angles, and it’s inappropriate and unacceptable.” If you are a federal worker in Mid-Missouri, there are several resources available for help. The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri provides groceries and other essential items to individuals and families in need. The Central Missouri Community Action Agency, a nonprofit that supports low-income families, told ABC 17 News in a Monday email it is offering support to anyone in need. City of Columbia Utilities does not have specific program for government workers, but the city says it continues to work with residents who may have difficulties paying their utility bills, including setting up payment plans for qualified customers.
