federal jobs

Roughly 1.4 million federal workers are going without pay due to the government shutdown — including 30,000 in the Kansas City area. About half of them are furloughed, while the other half has been deemed essential and is working without pay.

The Department of the Interior is currently blocked from carrying out its plan to terminate more than 2,000 positions. That includes nearly everyone at the Columbia Environmental Research Center, which has studied ecosystems, animals and toxic chemicals for more than 60 years.

As the shutdown of the federal government stretches into its third week, employees are starting to feel the financial strain of being furloughed or working without pay. Many federal workers live paycheck to paycheck, and food assistance programs in the region are starting to prepare for an influx of need.

In a hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said the layoffs have brought a human cost that cannot be tolerated.

As the government shutdown continues, the lack of any federal funding is having a profound impact on people around the country and here in Kansas City. KCUR's Up To Date examined the government shutdown from three different perspectives.

The Trump administration says it has started the process of issuing "substantial" reduction-in-force notices to federal employees. Court filings suggest around 4,200 affected so far.

A new draft White House memo suggests a 2019 law signed by President Trump that guarantees federal employees get paid after a shutdown ends would not apply to furloughed workers. The Kansas City region has tens of thousands of federal workers who could be affected.

Kansas City is a regional hub for federal offices and the almost 30,000 federal workers who make up the largest workforce in the area. Many of those workers are furloughed without pay, their agencies closed until the government reopens.

People working to address hunger say the canceled report is a main resource to understand where and how people are experiencing food insecurity across the country.

There are more than 37,000 federal employees in the state of Missouri that could be impacted, as well as certain state agencies' funding, if Congress doesn't pass a budget bill.

In past government shutdowns, workers have been put on temporary furloughs until funding resumes. This time, the Trump White House is looking for bigger and more permanent cuts, a new memo shows. That could have a big impact on Kansas City, where tens of thousands of federal employees work.

The ICE 287(g) program is expanding in the Midwest, and immigration advocates say there’s not enough oversight. This month, the Department of Homeland Security announced new financial incentives that could boost local involvement even further.