With the federal shutdown into its second month, left-wing corporate media have invested no little energy in bemoaning the effect of the now unprecedentedly long shutdown on more than 670,000 furloughed federal employees, and the more than 730,000 others working without pay.
CNN last month reported on struggling federal workers whose emergency funds had evaporated, while the Associated Press reported: “Federal workers endure financial strain and fear layoffs as the government shutdown drags on.” An Oct. 27 commentary on MSNBC blamed President Trump and House Republicans for “abandoning federal workers who have now missed two paychecks.”
Certainly, missing a month’s salary (and very possibly more) would be a big hit for most Americans, given that as many as two-thirds of us live paycheck-to-paycheck. That being the case, one would think furloughed federal workers would be acting swiftly, even desperately, to find gig work and temporary jobs to shore up their income rather than sitting at home twiddling their thumbs. You’d be right, sort of. But some reporting on the furloughed federal workforce suggests that the shutdown has exposed some surprising truths about the financial health and professional acumen (or lack thereof) of many federal employees.
Hawking Hot Dogs and Fantasy Cat Novels
Consider a Nov. 3 Washington Post article featuring some anecdotal stories on federal employees “finding other gigs to make ends meet.” IRS lawyer Isaac Stein, who “writ[es] rules for 401(k)s and other retirement plans,” is “selling hot dogs, Moon Pies and RC Cola,” and earning about $600 a day. He purchased his hot dog cart for $12,000 and had to obtain a sidewalk permit and motor vehicle license, getting everything ready just before the shutdown began. The lawyer has yet to turn a profit.
Then there’s San Antonio resident Kysa Steele, who does information technology for an unnamed federal agency. “This is my first shutdown and it’s kind of terrifying,” she told The Washington Post. “How long is this going to last? Will I get back pay? How do I pay my bills?” So she’s turned to “writing cat fantasy fiction e-books about demon princess cats, feline detectives and an especially mischievous cat who turns into a human.” Thus far, she’s sold only “a couple dozen copies,” reaping a total profit of less than $100.
Such stories provoke some hard questions. If a federal lawyer has yet to turn a profit more than a month into the shutdown — but could afford to purchase a hot dog cart for the equivalent of a used car — then he must not be in particularly dire straits. If the best a federal IT specialist can do to find alternative sources of income is to write unpopular feline fantasy fiction, she must not be a terribly qualified IT specialist, given this job category is in high demand. Or, alternatively, she is misrepresenting herself as suffering financially and has such plentiful savings that she can waste time writing ridiculous stories no one will ever read.
Some Furloughed Guvvies Really Are Hustling
This isn’t to say there aren’t plenty of federal workers feeling the hurt of missed paychecks. Living in Northern Virginia, I have many neighbors and friends from church who are in federal service. All of them were either sent home in early October or have been dutifully going into work for more than a month without timely compensation. Many are conservatives who voted for Trump, and many are doing important security-related work that keeps our nation safe. Most are hopeful they will eventually receive back pay when the shutdown is over.
Even if it’s true that federal employees will eventually get paid, missing multiple paychecks can be enough for many folks to empty their savings or go into debt. I know some federal employees rely on doing overtime (which they typically can’t do during a shutdown) to cover basic family expenses. And what happens if, because they were furloughed, they ultimately don’t get that backpay, or if they are only reimbursed for the days they actually went to the office, given that many have taken scheduled leave for such things as childcare, or had to take sick leave?
Because of this, I know many federal employees, both furloughed or still working without pay, who are truly hustling to find alternative work to pay the bills. They’re taking jobs as Uber or Lyft drivers or frantically searching for and doing temp work, just about anything to make a buck. At least the WaPo reported on one federal worker who is continuing to work (unpaid) through the shutdown and who made a measly $113 on a recent weekend for DoorDash. His furloughed wife, meanwhile, is considering picking groceries for Kroger for $15 an hour.
What the Furlough Proves About the Federal Workforce
Yet if it’s true that large numbers of federal employees are truly wasting away their furlough days doing jobs that don’t actually cover their expenses, this doesn’t speak particularly well for a significant chunk of the federal workforce. They are either fiscally stable enough to get away with fanciful, unlucrative side hustles, or they are so unskilled or lazy that they simply can’t find alternatives that can cover even some of their bills.
Either way, they are proving that the impressions the American people have of the federal workforce — such as that they are entitled, incompetent, and indolent — may very well be accurate. Someone really worrying about paying their rent doesn’t while away the day writing stories that may not sell. (Alternatively, I presume many Americans likely find pleasure in learning that spoiled federal workers have to resort to blue-collar work during the shutdown).
I presume I speak for most Americans, regardless of political affiliation, when I say I hope the shutdown ends soon — especially given the upcoming increase in holiday travel — and that the federal workers who deserve to be remunerated for their service indeed get what they are owed. “For the laborer deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7). But one thing the shutdown seems to show is that there may very well be quite a few federal employees America could do without.
Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. He is a regular contributor at many publications and the author of three books, including the upcoming “Wisdom From the Cross: How Jesus’ Seven Last Words Teach Us How to Live (and Die)” (Sophia Institute Press, 2026).
