LUTHER, Okla. – We know the partial government shutdown is affecting countless government employees and their families, but now others are feeling the trickle-down effect.
“When you’re the breadwinner and you’re used to bringing in the bread, and the bread goes from a slice to crumb, it’s hard to deal with,” said Danny Scott, who runs Danny Scott’s Custom Concrete in Luther.
He says his business and employees are taking quite a hit already as government employees are now having to cancel jobs.
“Showed up ready to work and the customer said, ‘We have to shut it down because we don’t know when we’re getting paid,'” Scott said. “Which is the respectable thing to do. If a guy works, he wants to get paid.”
That job was supposed to begin on Monday at Audrey Stoner’s home.
“I felt awful telling Danny to hold off on the project,” Stoner said. “Yes, we will eventually do it. We just don’t know when. How long is this going to take?”
Stoner’s husband works for the FBI. This is the first time he’s not been paid.
“He’s still at work. He’s still one of the thousands that are having to go to work and not get a paycheck,” she said.
With three children to support, it’s a tough time for her family, especially since the kids are too young to understand what’s going on.
“They just want toys and toys and this and that, and it’s hard to explain to them why daddy’s not getting a paycheck,” she said.
Stoner says she’s thankful for savings and the help of family, but knows the longer this shutdown goes on, the tougher things will get for everyone.
“We have other resources but other families may not,” she said.
Scott says he’s ready for it to end today so he can pay his employees, and our country can get back to focusing on the needs of others.
“It’s just a sad situation to me that we’ve got veterans living on the street and our government is shut down because of a wall,” said Scott. “I think $5.7 billion could be used in a lot more prudent ways than building a wall.”