658,000 Federal Employees Miss First Paycheck Amid Prolonged Government Shutdown

Nearly 658,000 civilian federal employees at key departments including Defense, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs missed their first full paycheck amid the ongoing government shutdown, a crisis that shows no immediate resolution. An additional 686,000 employees across other agencies are expected to miss paychecks soon, with the shutdown potentially withholding nearly 1.8 million paychecks by the end of October and 4.5 million by December if it continues. About 670,000 federal workers are furloughed, while 730,000 are working without pay. Despite the White House's reluctance to guarantee backpay for furloughed workers, the IRS has assured it will be provided, and some military pay has been secured through reallocated funds and donations. Senate efforts to pass bills ensuring pay for active-duty military and other federal workers have repeatedly failed, prolonging financial uncertainty for federal employees. A federal judge has temporarily blocked shutdown-related firings, while the administration signals intentions to aggressively reduce bureaucracy during the shutdown.