Social Security Administration

At the Kansas City offices of the Social Security Administration, Chandler McGinnis answered customer calls throughout the shutdown, without pay. She heard from parents worried about feeding their kids, and from patients denied cancer treatment after being kicked off Medicare. “It was emotionally tearing me down, because I want to fix it and I can't.”

Now that the government shutdown is over, tens of thousands of furloughed civil servants are back to work in Kansas City. But that doesn’t mean all is well. KCUR spoke with a Social Security employee who answers the 1-800 line about her experiences working without pay.

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.

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.

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.

The federal shutdown will affect people across the United States. NPR's network of member stations explains what will be impacted and where.

Workers at many federal agencies fear losing their jobs in the next wave of cuts from President Donald Trump. One Social Security worker in Kansas City shares his fears about future layoffs, DOGE's handling of sensitive information and the delivery of funds for people who need them.

Kansas City es un centro para oficinas federales como la Administración del Seguro Social, la Agencia de Protección Ambiental, el IRS y el Departamento de Asuntos de Veteranos.

At a recent panel put together by U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, current and former federal employees discussed the chaos of DOGE's mass firings that have lead to wasted onboarding costs, potential late or unpaid bills to contractors and an atmosphere of fear.

Kansas City is a hub for federal offices like the Social Security Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the IRS and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The federal government is by far Kansas City’s largest employer and a major economic engine, with agencies like the IRS, EPA, Social Security and more in town. Experts warn the region’s economy will feel the pain when jobs disappear.

Missouri will continue to take millions of dollars in the next year in Social Security benefits and use the money to help pay for foster care. The result is that kids who are orphaned or have disabilities are responsible for paying toward the cost of their care in state custody, while foster kids who are ineligible for those benefits pay nothing.