The thing is, by and large those who are furloughed DO get backpay once the gov't is funded again. So they do get paid for the time missed. Happened to my mom's husband when the FAA was 'defunded' he didn't work, but got back pay once the funding bill was passed and signed.

Which would be, if not 'fine', then at least not as bad, if all the bills for such trifles as food, rent, house/car payments, doctor's visits and whatnot were also put on hold during that time, but since they aren't, yeah, it's a pretty huge problem for those involved.

It's still an indefinite loss of work...even if they do get some kind of backpay there's no way for them to know when, or if, it will happen, and in the meantime, bills need to be paid. Various federal services are interrupted as well, for example food stamps are stopped until the government is back on track too, so it goes beyond wages/salary, which brings the amount of people affected by this into the millions.

And yeah, politicians don't give a flying fuck cos they're deemed necessary and still get paid.

Actually SNAP continues.

They must have worked out something since this morning then, which is a good thing.

Also, regarding back pay, this may apply ONLY to federal employees laid off...NOT to the tens of thousands of "support" employees, for example, janitorial/maintenance services in federal buildings/offices, who have been laid off without compensation until this bullshit ends.

Now now, remember, it's the democrats fault for this, if they'd just been willing to compromise*... /s

Yeah, they've been throwing a shit-fit over this since it was first proposed, and hell or high water they seem determined to kill it, no matter how much their actions screw over the public(which makes it abundantly clear that their actions aren't aimed at helping that very same public, but only themselves).

*Republican definition of 'compromise': Do everything my way or not at all.