Tens of thousands more federal employees called back to work during shutdown
As the longest-ever government shutdown reached Day 27 Thursday, the number of federal employees working without pay stood at 450,000 -- but that number could top half a million in the coming days, as the Trump administration continues to recall tens of thousands of workers after almost four weeks of shuttered doors at vital agencies.
The negative impact on the U.S. economy, which the White House now says will be double its original projections, is already affecting places like Colorado, where craft breweries are awaiting government approval on beers, and businesses such as private contracting firms, some of which are now without work because they were on projects with government agencies. Unlike furloughed federal workers, private contractors aren't guaranteed any back-pay.
The effect on contractors, Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett said Tuesday, was one reason the White House upped its new estimate of the shutdown's cost.
There are no high-level talks between the president and Congressional leadership planned for Thursday, but during public events, both Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have traded barbs. The impasse over the president's demand for billions to fund his proposed border wall, which Democrats reject, continues.
Here's a look at the effects.
The head of the Transportation Security Administration acknowledged to his staff on Wednesday that frontline officers are increasingly calling out of work due to financial hardship caused by the government shutdown, spokesperson Michael Bilello told ABC News.
The agency, tasked with securing the nation's aviation system, reported an unscheduled absence rate of 6.1 percent of the workforce for Tuesday, up from 3.7 percent on the same day last year. Call-outs peaked on Sunday at 7.7 percent compared to 3.2 percent the same day last year.
