On October 24, local time, as the U.S. government shutdown entered its 24th day, more than 500,000 federal employees failed to receive their full salary as scheduled this week. The Senate is currently on recess, and the shutdown is expected to last until next Monday.
According to the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), a large number of federal employees lined up to receive meals and daily necessities at the Capital Area Food Bank in southeast Washington that day due to the government "shutdown" that resulted in salary interruptions.
According to organizer Will Stroman, the food bank provided assistance to about 250 federal employees that day and plans to continue distributing supplies every Friday until the shutdown ends. Many employees interviewed said that bills, mortgages and household expenses have brought tremendous pressure to them, and they hope that members of Congress will also suspend receiving their salaries.
One respondent said: "I used to be the one who distributed subsidies, but now I have to queue up to receive assistance." Another employee said that despite being suspended from pay, he was unable to receive food stamps because his income did not meet the standards, saying, "This is sad - I have worked for the country for many years, but when I need help, I don't get support."
Due to the huge differences between the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States on core issues such as health insurance-related welfare expenditures, the Senate failed to pass a new temporary appropriation bill before the end of the previous fiscal year on September 30, causing the federal government to run out of funds to maintain normal operations and "suspend" on October 1. (CCTV News)