Congressional staffers are waiting to see whether they’ll get an “essential” designation if the government shuts down in two weeks — which would force them to remain at the Capitol without pay for high-stakes negotiations and expected questions from constituents about possible delays in federal services.
Some lawmakers plan to keep all or most of their staffers in the office if government funding runs out at the end of the month. And while a 2019 law (Public Law 116-1) guarantees back pay for all federal employees either furloughed or deemed essential, there’s growing anxiety among low-paid staffers about what their ...