I can't imagine coming in to work if I'm not being paid on time. Indeed, if there's even a whiff of maybe I won't get paid, I'm not coming in unless I'm paid in advance.
Every government worker that is told they're not getting paid should do that. Money in my account now, before I come in to work.
True, but isn't this just late payment? It's still absolutely abhorrent and I'd be fucking furious, I'm just saying a lot of people aren't in a position to just leave. Getting paid a week late is better than losing your pay for 2-4 weeks while you look for another job.
There is no guarantee that they will get paid. For that to happen, congress will have to pass a spending bill that not only authorized future spending but also explicitly gives back pay for the time they were working without paying after the shutdown.
So far this has always happened, but I do remember some noises about not doing it around the last shutdown.
So especially after those comments last time, there is no certainty that if you come in to work for the government during a shutdown you will be paid.
There's a reason the country lost credit rating, and it's because people are slightly less confident that it will actually pay its debts, including simple payroll.
The more I think about it, the more I can see this is a really good example of Hanlon's razor.
If they were evil, they would not tell you they're not paying you. They simply wouldn't pay you. They're actually stupid because they told people they expect them to work without getting paid.