Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are dug in and ready to keep the government shut down, so some federal workers are starting to think about emergency measures—like applying for unemployment. That’s a particularly important resource since federal workers are barred from taking some kinds of outside jobs, so just picking up extra work may not be possible. The Washington Post’s Michelle Singletary offers tips for federal workers filing for unemployment:
- The federal Office of Personnel Management has an unemployment insurance resources page.
- Find out how to apply for unemployment insurance in your state.
- Know that people who get unemployment and later get back pay will have to repay the unemployment, though many states will set up a repayment schedule rather than requiring all the money at once.
- Here’s some good news about health coverage: “employees will continue to be covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program during a shutdown, even if an agency does not make premium payments on time. Your premium payments will still accumulate, and they will be withheld from your pay once you return to pay status, OPM says.”
If Donald Trump and Republicans are going to deny federal workers their pay, those workers should get the benefits to which they’re entitled.