Thousands of furloughed CDC workers face uncertain future as government shutdown continues into Day 3
The government shutdown has continued into a third day with no end in sight as Republicans and Democrats prepare for a prolonged fight over funding.
In Atlanta, the shutdown is causing disruptions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with thousands of workers furloughed.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 8,700 staff members will be furloughed, leaving the health organization and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry with fewer than 5,000 declared exempt or excepted.
Activities that will stop include research into health risks and ways to prevent illness, communications with the public, and work to help state and local officials prevent overdose deaths or other health problems. Ongoing applied public health research has been put on pause as well.
Peter Farruggia is one of the CDC employees who doesn't know when his next paycheck will arrive. He is also a union leader representing some of the organization's employees and has been with the CDC for four years.
"Depending on how long this goes, the rest of my bills for this month, I'm not going to be able to pay," Farruggia said. "I'm still basically living paycheck to paycheck."
It's been a tough year for CDC employees. They've faced mass layoffs and a shooting that left many shaken and worried about going back to the office.
"It's been one thing after another," Farruggia said.
Yolanda Jacobs, a communication specialist at the CDC and the president of AFGE Local 2883, said the shutdown has left the agency struggling to share important data.
"Public health information can't get out because there's no one to put that information out there," she said. "Those furloughed employees are the ones that a lot of the messaging would come from."
At the forefront of the shutdown is healthcare. Democrats have clashed with Republicans over the majority party's decision not to extend tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable to millions of Americans.
While Farruggia acknowledged the frustration over being furloughed, he said he agreed with the Democrats' fight to keep the credits in place.
"As much as I'm nervous about not getting paid, we're supportive of the government shutdown," he said. "We understand why it's happening, and it's to defend healthcare."
The next vote to temporarily fund the government will happen on Friday afternoon, but it is likely not to pass the Senate.
