So I'm dreading that in a week from now, I will be affected by the "possible" government shutdown. I used quotation marks because I'm pretty sure it is going to happen. Two years ago, just prior to the shutdown of 2013, my agency's HR sent out an e-mail that contained forced optimism but still warned employees that they may be furloughed. Received an identical e-mail today. I hate this deja vu feeling.
I work for an agency that would be 'excepted', meaning I would still have to report to work, not get paid, and not able to take any leave--any leave taken would not be paid back if/when retroactive pay is given back to us once everything is up and running again. And while we did get our retroactive pay after the 2013 shutdown (about a month after the fact), it was so nerve-wracking, not knowing if and when we would receive our pay. The morale in the office was gone. I was fortunate that I had plenty of money saved up, but there are lower pay-level employees who live paycheck to paycheck out here in the SF area, and many couldn't pay their bills.
My fiancé also works for a government agency and would also be affected. Both of us being furloughed is not something we want to deal with right before our wedding. We can still pay for our wedding and honeymoon with no problem, but we may have to cut back on the honeymoon activities.
Just….UGH. Sorry, just needed to vent.