Furloughed federal workers in Georgia weigh options as the shutdown drones on

Caption

Peter Farrugia (center right) speaks to Jason Esteves (center left), Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former state senator.

Credit: Sarah Kallis/GPB News

Thousands of federal workers in Georgia will need to figure out how to make ends meet while they are going without a paycheck until the federal government reopens. 

The federal government shut down at midnight Wednesday after Democrats and Republicans in Congress failed to reach an agreement to fund the government that included significant cuts to the Affordable Care Act.

Many workers, like Peter Farrugia, who works in the chief operating officer’s office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, say they are living paycheck to paycheck. Still, Farrugia said he is behind the shutdown.

“Personally speaking, I'm supportive of a government shutdown if it means that the American public, millions of Americans, don't get taken off into their health care," he said. 

One option for workers going without a paycheck could be filing for unemployment insurance, Georgia Labor Commissioner Barbara Rivera Holmes said. 

“There are certainly personal decisions that furloughed workers will have to make, but it's important for us," she said. "Share that there are resources available."

Assistance for filing for unemployment insurance is available on the Georgia Department of Labor website. 

The employees will have to pay the benefits back once the shutdown ends and they receive backpay, but the benefits can help them make ends meet while they are not being paid.

The Department of Labor can also help connect job-seekers with private sector positions in the state.