One of trump’s “tells” that he’s lying is he prefaces whatever bullshit he wants to peddle with “many people say.” As in:
Many of those (federal) workers have said to me, communicated, stay out until you get the funding for the wall,” Trump told reporters on Christmas day. “These federal workers want the wall.”
Um, no. A poll* released on New Year’s Eve showed that 71% of federal employees oppose the shutdown. Only 22% support the shutdown, and 10% of those do so because their opposition to the wall is so strong that they’d rather see the government be closed than allow it to make any progress on the wall. In addition:
About 30 percent of federal workers support a wall, though 35 percent of those individuals say the means of a shutdown do not justify the ends. Overall, 15 percent of federal employees who oppose a shutdown support Trump’s proposed wall.
[…] Democratic federal workers are nearly united in their opposition to the shutdown, with 90 percent against it. Republicans, meanwhile, are nearly split: 47 percent oppose it, while 44 percent support it. Nearly three-quarters of independents oppose the shutdown.
* Government Business Council and GovExec released the survey from Dec. 27-28, 2018 to a random sample of Government Executive, Nextgov and Defense One subscribers. The survey includes 1,435 federal employees and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percent.
The existential realities of not getting paid are compounded for those who are being forced to continue working without pay. Not only do they still have to pay for work-related expenses like transportation, childcare, and dry cleaning, they are not guaranteed back pay, nor is their status assured going forward:
More than one-quarter of federal employees are not very confident that furloughed workers will receive back pay once government reopens. The Senate has already passed a measure to ensure that happens, as it historically always has, but the legislation still must clear the House and receive Trump’s signature. Even those who so far have worked through the shutdown expressed concern that their status could change. Nearly one-in-five respondents said they are not currently furloughed but that could change in the “near future.” Agencies are expected to continue to increase furlough numbers as the shutdown drags on.
It’s economic terrorism being perpetrated on the federal employees who do the actual work of running our government. And the perpetrator should be charged with terrorist acts against the employees and citizens of the United States.