Thousands Of Federal Workers Return To Work

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are expected to head back to work in the Washington area Thursday after a 16-day government shutdown that barricaded national parks and monuments; halted programs serving veterans, cancer patients and Americans from every walk of life; and cast an unnatural quiet onto Metro trains and parts of the nation’s capital city.

The two-week shutdown had a far-reaching impact across the nation, with 450,000 federal workers not working and more than $20 billion in direct government spending and related economic activity siphoned from the economy. More than a million federal workers who stayed on the job had their paychecks delayed.

But in the Washington metropolitan area, the impact was particularly pronounced. Federal employees worried about paying bills and draining savings accounts. Tour guides scrambled for places to take school and veterans groups and families on vacation. Downtown restaurants saw their lunch crowds dwindle.

Source: Washington Post