Capitol Hill staffers frustrated with shutdown inconveniences
The article discusses the growing frustrations among Capitol Hill staffers amid a prolonged government shutdown. As the first missed paychecks approach-especially for House staffers scheduled too be paid monthly-daily operations are becoming increasingly difficult. Essential services like security are understaffed and unpaid, leading to closed doors and long security lines. Cleaning services have halted, forcing staffers to manage trash and office upkeep themselves, while interns, considered non-essential during the shutdown, are absent, leaving staff to handle tasks such as answering phones and restocking supplies.
In contrast, Senate staffers, who are paid biweekly, have already missed paychecks but continue working due to the Senate remaining in session. To ease financial strain,the Senate credit union offers interest-free payday loans. Despite these challenges, staffers hope for a government reopening soon.
Legislative efforts to end the shutdown have faltered in the Senate, wiht the House-passed funding bill stalled due to insufficient votes and ongoing disputes over healthcare provisions. Lawmakers are considering a long-term funding measure to extend current budget levels until the end of the fiscal year. Meanwhile, staffers cope with limited food options and halted constituent services like Capitol tours, underscoring the shutdown’s broad impact on government operations and personnel.
Frustrations spill over on Capitol Hill with no pay, trash pickup, or no interns
Capitol Hill staffers, already frustrated by the prospect of a first missed paycheck on Friday due to the government shutdown, have begun highlighting how seemingly everyday, small tasks are becoming increasingly difficult.
“There have been so many small inconveniences where we don’t realize are essential to having an open and effective government — the doors being closed because [U.S. Capitol Police] are understaffed and not getting paid,” one senior House aide told the Washington Examiner.
“We are having to conserve our trash bags because people aren’t coming in to clean the offices, along with us being the ones to take out the trash now,” the aide added .”Trash also being left outside all the offices right when 5 p.m. hits.”
While Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has kept the House out of session the entirety of the shutdown, House staffers on Capitol Hill have continued to come to work as their first missed paycheck looms on Friday, per an email sent by the Payroll and Benefits Office.
“Due to the lapse in appropriations, the October 2025 monthly pay disbursement scheduled for pay date of Friday, October 31, will be delayed until after funding is enacted,” the email stated.
Aside from the security lines being backed up, food options being limited, and cleanliness being a priority, interns in the House are also not deemed essential, leaving more tasks for these staffers when they come into the office.
“For me, going into a new office as a senior staffer, I now feel like I’ve had an intern experience in this office because we’re the ones doing all the intern tasks like answering the phones, changing the printer paper, making the coffee, and the daily morning tasks, just to name a few. It’s honestly been an experience,” the staffer said, going on five weeks without interns.
During a government shutdown, only members of Congress are allowed to give tours of the Capitol, sparing staff from the extra work, while also halting a service provided for these offices’ constituents.
In contrast to the House missing their first paycheck on Friday, Senate staffers have already begun feeling the effects, as their pay dates differ from the lower chamber. Upper chamber staffers receive their pay every two weeks, rather than monthly, resulting in one missed paycheck prior to the end of the month.
One Senate Committee staffer told the Washington Examiner that not getting paid is “so bad,” but caveated by saying, “thankfully, the Senate had been operating normally,” as it remained in session and continued to hold hearings.
The Senate credit union has offered $5,000 payday loans at 0% interest in light of the government shutdown, as more food options also remain open in the north wing of Capitol Hill.
“Going without pay has definitely been frustrating for Hill staff, but I think most offices are stepping up to provide what support they can,” another Senate staffer told the Washington Examiner. “A lot of folks have used the temporary loan program for some short-term relief. We’re all ready for the government to reopen and to get back to doing our jobs.”
FURLOUGHED FEDERAL WORKERS TAKE TO TIKTOK TO PASS TIME AND MAKE ENDS MEET
The government is nearing a record-long shutdown, as no negotiations have taken place. The House-passed continuing resolution to fund the government until Nov. 21 still sits in the upper chamber, where it has failed to meet the 60-vote threshold over a dozen times to hit the president’s desk and reopen the government.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has tried to keep enough of his Democratic caucus in line to force Republicans to strike a deal that meets Democratic demands on healthcare. Only Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and two Democrats have backed the GOP plan. Lawmakers have begun floating a long-term continuing resolution, which could extend Biden-era funding levels through the end of the fiscal year.
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