Eight hundred thousand federal workers are directly affected by the partial government shutdown, either forced to work without pay or furloughed.
A recent poll found that 1 in 5 Americans said they were directly affected by the shutdown and President Trump’s approval ratings have taken a hit, including with non-college educated men and suburban men, who were critical to his victory in 2016.
On Thursday, hundreds of workers and their families protested at one of the Senate office buildings, demanding the government be re-opened and requesting to meet with Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader who’s made little effort to find a path forward on the shutdown.
But instead of hearing their stories and providing any explanation for his plan to address the shutdown, McConnell had protestors arrested.
This shutdown is causing serious economic hardship for tens of thousands of people and McConnell can’t even be bothered to let them into his office for a face-to-face meeting. It reeks of a cold, inhumane standoffishness and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.
