Affected households are mostly on the lower end of the middle-class spectrum, with average take-home pay of about $500 per employee, according to the largest labor union of federal employees. The pinch is keenly felt by African Americans, who fill the ranks of federal employees at proportions greater than their share of the overall population. Airport linesTransportation Security Administration employees are among those whose work is deemed essential, meaning they must continue to report for work – without pay. Federal Aviation Administration employees also are required to work without pay, adding stress to the overstretched network of air traffic controllers. Security threatsAmong the federal employees working without pay are secret service agents, whose responsibilities include protecting the president; federal prison corrections officers; and agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Source: The Guardian January 12, 2019 06:00 UTC