Thousands of federal employees have been told to return to work, despite knowing they will miss a second paycheck.
“My blood pressure’s off the chain. My anxiety’s off the chain,” said Jacksonville Internal Revenue Service employee Michelle Manning.
Like many federal workers, Manning lives paycheck to paycheck.
She still has to go to work during the shutdown but couldn’t afford to get there.
“Transportation. It’s just hard because you can’t afford gas. You can’t afford car insurance,” said Manning.
STORY: Jacksonville air traffic controller: Shutdown is creating safety risk
Manning asked the Jacksonville Transportation Authority to allow federal employees to ride the bus for free.
She got a call on Wednesday from JTA letting her know it planned to do just that starting on Thursday.
All federal employees have to do is show their federal identification badges when they board.
“I was just happy. I did the happy dance,” said Manning.
She didn’t stop there.
On Thursday she went door-to-door asking businesses to put out boxes to collect donations of toiletries and supplies for federal workers.
With every step, Manning said she’s thinking of her coworkers and her daughter, who’s also a federal employee.
“God is telling me, go out here. Ask these businesses. Somebody’s going to come through and help,” said Manning.
We have more information about resources for federal employees here.
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