At Philadelphia International Airport, federal workers are feeling the strain. Many are struggling to feed their families and make ends meet.
With bill collectors calling, TSA officer LaShanda Palmer is doing what she must to survive.
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"OK, guess what I am going to do, I'm going to a blood bank, I'll make a donation. You'll get your money, I'll figure it out," said Palmer, president of AFGE Local 333.
She has been with the TSA for 23 years, like everyone in her union, and hasn't received a paycheck in 28 days.
"It's extremely devastating. Now you really don't have anyone to rely on," she said.
Palmer is not only caring for her children and grandchildren - she's also trying to support her colleagues.
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"It's my job to take care of them, not vice versa. It's hard. It's hard to come to work every day as the president of this local, and I can't help my members," she said.
Adding to the hardship is a pause in food assistance programs like SNAP. TSA officer and union vice president Maggie Sabatino said the process was much easier during the 2019 shutdown.
"I left with a card that day, with benefits they told me would be on there within 24 hours," Sabatino recalled. "This time around, when I went, they told me I technically had an income and I'd have to wait."
With two children to care for, Sabatino said she's had to make difficult decisions just to get to work.
"They want you there and they don't care what you have to sacrifice to get there," she said.
Philadelphia International Airport is collecting donations to support its 1,700 federal workers. Large donors interested in contributing can contact communications@phl.org.