Long-time federal contractor John Woodson arrived at an unemployment office in Washington, D.C. early Thursday morning. Ordinarily, Woodson would be receiving a paycheck, but because of the partial government shutdown, Woodson spent his day filing an unemployment claim instead.
“We should still be at work right now,” said Woodson. “Politicians should handle this — don’t put this on the citizens. You’re hurting us.”
Even if Woodson can get unemployment, which pays up to $425 a week in D.C., he says it won’t be enough to care for his family.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media