KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories about government accountability. A viewer shared this tip about the impact on families from the federal government shutdown. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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Thursday marked the 30th day of the government shutdown and a month of unpaid work for more than a million people in the United States.
Many of those workers not getting paid are already struggling to pay their bills. They are worried what will happen in a few days with the start of a new month.
Waiting for your paycheck can be stressful, but imagine if you didn't know when it would be coming. With no end in sight to the government shutdown, Accountability Reporter Isabella Ledonne sat down with two federal government workers dealing with the impact.
"It's the people of this country that pay when these shutdowns happen," Michael Thiemann, a federal government worker, said.
Thiemann and his wife Lisa work for the Social Security Administration. They've been working 40 hours a week without pay.
"It is exhausting," Lisa said. "The last paycheck we got went up through September 30."
With a 10-year-old daughter and no income coming in, they've learned to budget on survival mode.
"You start cutting back on anything that will not keep you fed, keep you housed, keep the lights on, keep the heat on, keep the water on," Michael said. "Anything past that is just a want."
This isn't the first time they've gone through a government shutdown. They said they're luckier than most.
"We've made smart choices financially and tried to prepare for this as much as we could," Lisa said. "We've deliberately kept our debt low because we've been through shutdowns before and knew it could happen again."
But they're not only dealing with no pay. Michael is currently in remission from a 2024 prostate cancer diagnosis and his time off policy is unclear.
"I've had to cancel and reschedule [doctor] appointments because I don't know what my leave is like," Michael said. "I know I beat the cancer. I know I have good test results. I will put off these appointments until later on. But the thing is, I shouldn't have to do that."
Several of their co-workers chose an early retirement over working with no pay.
"I've noticed on certain days the office is empty," Michael said. "It's hurting across the board."
The couple said no paycheck significantly impacts everyone's motivation to work, but the Thiemann's continue to show up for the people who need social security.
"People's grandparents, disabled children, aunts and uncles, people rely on that one check," Michael said. "If we make a mistake because we're distracted, they pay for it."
Because they're still required to work, getting a side gig isn't an option.
"I need to pick up my daughter from school, I need to get her dinner," Lisa said. "We have to go in and do our jobs, but [lawmakers] aren't doing theirs. It's just absolute frustration."
Beyond the stress and uncertainty, the Thiemann's are mainly upset with how we got here a month into the government shutdown.
"That's what [lawmakers are] supposed to be doing; pay the government bills," Michael said. "They're not paying it, and we're sitting here not able to pay our own bills. They're not doing their job."
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill adjourned on Thursday night and won't be meeting again until Monday.
"It's very frustrating when not everyone in Congress is there to do their job, but I still have to put gas in my car and go to work," Lisa said.
A list of resources for those impacted by the government shutdown, including SNAP benefit recipients, can be found here.
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