US federal workers turn to food banks to survive

On a cold, windy day outside a church in Queens, New York, people stood in line — some with carts to carry goods, others wearing sunglasses and masks, embarrassed to be recognized as local and national media flooded the street.

The line on Oct 28 was for federal workers seeking assistance from a food bank. Nothing fancy — just produce such as peppers, onions, cucumbers and carrots.

Among them was Jacquelin, who said the shutdown had a great impact on her and her family. She said she had been asked to increase productivity, "much higher than it was before", and work more hours without extra pay.

Jacquelin became emotional and choked up several times while speaking to China Daily about the financial burden her family is facing.

"Not being able to celebrate my daughter's birthday or postponing celebrating Halloween, maybe Thanksgiving or Christmas," she said, her voice breaking.

"It's very heartbreaking. Having to explain to your child, we don't have money to maybe go and get you a slice of pizza … or not buy the things that you need to eat, that you used to eat at home," she said.

The United States federal government shut down on Oct 1 after a standoff over funding for healthcare and other policy priorities. Negotiations have since stalled, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers like Jacquelin in limbo.

About 1.4 million federal employees are currently not receiving pay, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. At least 670,000 workers have gone on furlough, while roughly 730,000 continue to work without pay.

Christina Dechabert, a Transportation Security Administration employee at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, said "it's draining" to keep working without getting paid.

She said she had to visit the food bank for her family to survive. Dechabert said she only visited food banks during times of crises, with the last time in 2018 during the 35-day government shutdown during the first Trump administration.

She said it was a little bit easier compared with this shutdown, as things are more expensive now.

"Our savings are supposed to be for when you turn 65, 70, and you're able to fall back on something and enjoy retirement," Dechabert said. "Right now, you can't enjoy anything because we have to stand in lines to get food so we can provide for our families," she added.

A woman in the line who asked to remain anonymous said she was currently on furlough. "We are being held as collateral damage in the process, and it's just not fair," she said.

The food lines are not restricted to New York. Across the US, federal workers are facing similar food insecurity.

In Washington, DC, on Oct 24, lines of vehicles stretched as far as the eye could see even before a food distribution event for federal workers started.