A growing financial crisis is hitting America’s federal workforce as the government shutdown of October 2025 drags on. Today marks the start of a wave of reduced or missing paychecks for both working and furloughed federal employees, fueling anxiety and uncertainty across households nationwide.
Some workers are receiving partial pay covering time worked before the shutdown began though others may see no checks at all if the impasse continues. The timing and severity of pay disruption varies by agency and payroll schedule.
Those designated as “essential” remain on duty without compensation during the shutdown. Meanwhile, furloughed workers those temporarily relieved from duty may lose pay altogether until funding is restored.
What’s fueling debate now is whether affected federal employees will receive back pay once a funding deal is reached. A 2019 law aimed to guarantee retroactive wages for both furloughed workers and those who continued working without pay. However, a new White House memo has questioned the automatic nature of those payments, suggesting Congress must explicitly approve them in future funding legislation.
As the financial strain grows, many employees are scrambling to meet basic needs — from rent to groceries while advocacy groups, labor unions, and lawmakers intensify pressure on Congress to end the shutdown.