We won't be investing as long as there are no pay checks coming, but it shouldn't cause financial distress.
Mostly it is a MASSIVE pain in the ass for my federally employed husband, whose work certainly won't stop even though he technically isn't allowed to do it. Just like last time, he'll keep working anyway, off the clock and without pay.
We just now got a call from one of his students, who is supposed to be going to the field this weekend in a federal vehicle. He now has to arrange a different vehicle for her to use, possibly at the additional cost of a rental.
Shutdowns are moronic.
That's messed up. I don't volunteer my time to my employer, and I certainly don't incur personal expenses that my employer should be paying, just so that I can go work on a day off when I'm not supposed to be working.
If I got terminated or a bad performance review for failing to work without pay, I'm sure I could find an employment lawyer who would love to take my case.
It IS messed up. If DH worked a more 'traditional' federal job, he'd be more inclined to agree with you. But he's in research and academia, with multiple ongoing research projects, co workers in academia and other agencies, and his own graduate students, all of whose work and schedules are negatively affected if he doesn't work. Those parts of his job can't be 'put on hold' easily without creating much bigger problems later. During the last shutdown, he was barred from traveling to his regular field site to do research that is co-funded by several private entities. So the private partners' monetary investment in support and technicians went to waste for several weeks while the Principle Investigator of the research was stuck at home, frothing with rage. And the data that would normally be collected during that standardized time-period were not collected, either.
"Officially", nonessential Feds aren't allowed to work during furlough. Of course, nearly all of them working DH's type of position do so as much as they are able to anyway, without egregiously violating the stupid rules (e.g., DH is not allowed to go to his office, even if he needs paperwork etc., so he had to plan ahead and bring home a lot of material, just in case). For the most part, people in his position keep working as much as they can get away with, so as to keep working relationships intact, keep obligations to their students, and yes, waste less money.
In fact, I got a work-related email this very morning from a different Fed who happens to be my supervisor in one of my jobs. So he's working from home, as well. On a Sunday during furlough.
Those lazy lazy Feds! :sarcasm: