The Atlantic

Many Families May Need Months to Recover From the Shutdown

As federal employees and contractors return to work, they’re still processing some of the emotional and financial stress of the past six weeks.
Source: Mike Segar / Reuters

Ever since the government shutdown ended last Friday, Yvette Hicks said her cable company, her electric company, the bank that processes her auto-loan payments, and her life-insurance company have been calling her “back to back to back.” They want to know when they’ll be paid.

Hicks, a 40-year-old security guard working as a contractor for the federal government, had been wondering the same thing about her own income, having gone without

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