1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I write to you today as a concerned constituent regarding the current federal government shutdown and the resulting delay in pay for many federal employees. I urge you to prioritize passing a full-year budget or continuing resolution so that all federal employees—both those currently working and those furloughed—receive their pay on time, without interruption. • A civilian U.S. Coast Guard employee on “excepted duty” (i.e., required to work during the shutdown) is receiving delayed pay and may be unable to make essential payments such as insurance. • Approximately 1.5 million employees are working without assurance of timely pay. • About 700,000 federal workers are furloughed and already only received partial pay for the last pay period. • Some workers are resorting to side gigs, food banks, and carpooling to try to get by. • Air traffic controllers have reported the stress of uncertainty, and some are contemplating how to juggle essential bills while working under extremely tight financial strain. These stories are not isolated. They reveal the cascading harms of a stalled appropriations process: federal workers delayed, families stressed, critical public services strained, and long-term damage to morale and retention. While retroactive pay is promised, the delay puts undue hardship on individuals whose bills continue to accrue in the meantime. Many federal workers live paycheck to paycheck. Insurance premiums, rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, loan payments, childcare — these do not pause because Congress has failed to act. Accordingly, I respectfully request that you take the following steps: 1. Support the prompt passage of a full-year appropriations package or a continuing resolution that ensures uninterrupted pay for all federal employees. 2. Ensure that any shutdown contingency plans or “excepted” duty work do not unfairly burden those working without pay, nor penalize them for circumstances beyond their control. 3. Consider bipartisan or across-the-aisle cooperation so that the inability to pass a budget does not become routine or weaponized at the expense of hardworking public servants. 4. Advocate for procedural reforms that reduce the risk of shutdowns in the future (e.g. automatic continuing funding, better budgeting deadlines). Federal employees are essential to the functioning of our government. Whether they process Social Security payments, manage public lands, enforce environmental regulations, monitor air traffic, support national defense, or ensure public safety—these workers serve us daily. They should not be used as leverage in partisan standoffs, nor should they bear the brunt of legislative gridlock. Please act swiftly to restore confidence, protect our public servants, and uphold the federal government’s obligations to those we count on. Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to your response and hope to see decisive action in the coming days.