Photos: How furloughed workers juggled the US shutdown

Jan 28, 2019 10:23 IST

Chris George, a federal employee furloughed from his job, takes a short break while working as a handyman to make ends meet on January 19 in Fontana, California. “I have a lot of pride, so asking for help is difficult for me. It’s very difficult for me because I’m always the one giving back or putting myself before anybody else,” said George. “Now, here I am in the situation where I’m the one that is in need.” (Jae C. Hong / AP)

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Chris George, a federal employee furloughed from his job, takes a short break while working as a handyman to make ends meet on January 19 in Fontana, California. “I have a lot of pride, so asking for help is difficult for me. It’s very difficult for me because I’m always the one giving back or putting myself before anybody else,” said George. “Now, here I am in the situation where I’m the one that is in need.” (Jae C. Hong / AP)

George looks for a document in his room adorned with Smokey Bear posters. During the shutdown, he scrambled daily to do handywork and small remodelling jobs at homes in the hardscrabble desert town of Hemet, east of Los Angeles. In between, he worked for Lyft, spending up to 10 hours in the car just to make $100. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

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George looks for a document in his room adorned with Smokey Bear posters. During the shutdown, he scrambled daily to do handywork and small remodelling jobs at homes in the hardscrabble desert town of Hemet, east of Los Angeles. In between, he worked for Lyft, spending up to 10 hours in the car just to make $100. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

George, a forestry technician supervisor who has worked for the US Forest Service for more than two decades doing forest fire management, was never one to be caught off guard. He used to always have two months of funds saved for emergencies. But last year he bought a home after going through a divorce and any money he made since then has gone toward remodelling it. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

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George, a forestry technician supervisor who has worked for the US Forest Service for more than two decades doing forest fire management, was never one to be caught off guard. He used to always have two months of funds saved for emergencies. But last year he bought a home after going through a divorce and any money he made since then has gone toward remodelling it. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

When he wasn’t juggling jobs, George was on the phone, trying to save his credit standing —threatened thanks to the December 22 government shutdown, the longest in US history, which had left 800,000 federal workers without pay. Many of them are dipping into savings, borrowing from friends and family and relying on payment deferments and plans. There is still no clear answer on when they’ll get paid. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

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When he wasn’t juggling jobs, George was on the phone, trying to save his credit standing —threatened thanks to the December 22 government shutdown, the longest in US history, which had left 800,000 federal workers without pay. Many of them are dipping into savings, borrowing from friends and family and relying on payment deferments and plans. There is still no clear answer on when they’ll get paid. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

He never anticipated he would be left without a paycheck for this long. George received his last paycheck December 29. His monthly check of about $267 from the US Department of Veterans Affairs is still coming but it doesn’t cover much. Besides his mortgage payment, he is struggling to keep up with his car payment, utility bills and to buy food. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

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He never anticipated he would be left without a paycheck for this long. George received his last paycheck December 29. His monthly check of about $267 from the US Department of Veterans Affairs is still coming but it doesn’t cover much. Besides his mortgage payment, he is struggling to keep up with his car payment, utility bills and to buy food. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

On a recent day, George fixed a bathroom sink at the home of a friend, who also hired him to install a gas stove, two toilets and hang a dozen blinds. He also picked up his first unemployment check in the form of an ATM card. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

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On a recent day, George fixed a bathroom sink at the home of a friend, who also hired him to install a gas stove, two toilets and hang a dozen blinds. He also picked up his first unemployment check in the form of an ATM card. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

When he got done with the sink, he called a company that he heard was hiring driving instructors to schedule an interview. Then he grabbed a meal at Ramano’s Macaroni Grill, which offered government workers free spaghetti and meatball dinners. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

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When he got done with the sink, he called a company that he heard was hiring driving instructors to schedule an interview. Then he grabbed a meal at Ramano’s Macaroni Grill, which offered government workers free spaghetti and meatball dinners. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

Chris George shakes hands with a passenger in his pickup truck while driving for Lyft to make ends meet. Picking up the unemployment benefits was tough for the 48-year-old Army National Guard veteran who has spent his life serving his country and helping others. His patriotism is evident in his new home, where a painted American flag hangs on the wall. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

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Chris George shakes hands with a passenger in his pickup truck while driving for Lyft to make ends meet. Picking up the unemployment benefits was tough for the 48-year-old Army National Guard veteran who has spent his life serving his country and helping others. His patriotism is evident in his new home, where a painted American flag hangs on the wall. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

Chris George takes off his boots at his home after spending the day working as a handyman. “My rebuttal to the president every time he puts out a tweet is to flash my GoFundMe account. That’s my rebuttal to his comments that are absolutely outrageous,” George said. “Here we are being pawns for an agenda of a wall.” (Jae C. Hong / AP)

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Chris George takes off his boots at his home after spending the day working as a handyman. “My rebuttal to the president every time he puts out a tweet is to flash my GoFundMe account. That’s my rebuttal to his comments that are absolutely outrageous,” George said. “Here we are being pawns for an agenda of a wall.” (Jae C. Hong / AP)

about the gallery

After 35 long days, the longest government shutdown in US history was finally lifted last week after US President Donald Trum signed temporary legislation, passed unanimously by the US Congress, to reopen the government for three weeks until February 15. The temporary deal still does not contain funding for the wall, which has been a major bone of contention in the recent days. The shutdown had also left 800,000 federal workers furloughed without pay, left to fend for themselves while the government ironed itself out.

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