Jessie Holwell, a Veterans Affairs employee in the Phoenix region who has been furloughed for weeks, said it would take a while for her life to go back to normal.
“The exhaustion, the stress, and the constant uncertainty have taken a toll mentally, emotionally and physically,” said Ms. Holwell, a mother of five.
During the 43-day government shutdown, she and her family picked up nightly DoorDash gigs, ran up credit card debt, took out a personal loan from her bank and indefinitely postponed their plans for a sixth child.
Her twins turn 12 this week, and she said they still planned on having a modest birthday celebration and a dressed-down Christmas.
“Even with back pay, we’ll still be starting behind and playing catch-up for a while,” said Ms. Holwell, who was unsure when she would receive her missing paychecks, like many other federal workers.
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