FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz met with families of South Florida federal employees affected by the government shutdown.
Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said she is relieved these families will be receiving paychecks this week and that the longest government shutdown in U.S. history is over.
“We have reached a deal to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government,” said President Donald Trump in a news conference Friday.
The deal allows the government to reopen for three weeks as border security negotiations continue.
“I’m relieved but still frustrated,” said Wasserman Schultz.
The congresswoman said she remains concerned about the potential strain hundreds of families of federal workers could face if the government shuts down once again.
It was a long 35 days for those affected. Most employees are missing two paychecks, including members of the U.S. Coast Guard who were still required to work during that time.
When they weren’t working, Coast Guardsmen had to find other ways to make money. Some drove for ride-sharing services, others worked as lifeguards and others worked at hardware stores or department stores.
Some attendees at Monday’s meeting included wives of Coast Guardsmen who explained how the shutdown affected them.
Morgan Soma, whose husband flies a Coast Guard helicopter, said, “Military members were suddenly forced to do what they could to generate an income because an I.O.U. does not put food on the table.”
Soma, a homemaker with two small children, also called out lawmakers.
“While there were childish arguments in Washington, a partial government shutdown and military paychecks were withheld, the Coast Guard mission continued,” she said.
In Homestead, Monday, Coast Guard spouses handed out goods in case the government shuts down again.
“It’s definitely a stressful, chaotic time. I think it’s mostly the unknown,” said Lacey Elmange, whose husband serves in the Coast Guard.
According to Wasserman Schultz, the back pay for these families is expected to arrive sometime this week, but negotiations at the nation’s capital are once again heating up, as Trump insists on a border wall Democrats say they cannot support.
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