Amidst a US federal government shutdown, federal workers are increasingly relying on food banks to survive, highlighting the severe financial strain caused by the lack of pay. Lines of federal employees seeking basic necessities have been observed in Queens, New York, and Washington, DC.

• Approximately 1.4 million federal employees are currently not receiving pay, with 670,000 furloughed and 730,000 working without compensation.
• Jacquelin, a federal worker, shared her emotional struggle to provide for her family, including postponing her daughter's birthday due to financial hardship.
• Christina Dechabert, a Transportation Security Administration employee at John F. Kennedy International Airport, expressed the draining reality of working without pay, noting that rising costs make this shutdown harder than the 2018 shutdown.