With the federal government shutdown in its second month, officials in Oregon are looking to help, with the tab likely being in the millions of dollars.
With the federal government shutdown in its second month, officials in Oregon are looking to help beleaguered federal employees, possibly with millions of dollars in assistance, authorities said Wednesday.
Almost 10,000 federal employees in the state are not getting paid because of the shutdown, huge swaths of federal lands are unattended, creating wildfire hazards. Also, food stamps for 320,000 Oregonians are at risk if the shutdown persists past February, said Lisa Taylor, spokeswoman for state Senate President Peter Courtney.
He is drafting a bill to allow federal employees who are working but not being paid to receive unemployment benefits, Taylor said. That’s in defiance of the U. S. Labor Department which says federal employees who are on the job without pay cannot collect unemployment. Only those not working during the shutdown can receive benefits.
« I’m absolutely disgusted at what is happening at the federal level, » said House Speaker Tina Kotek. She said she’s open to the state helping federal employees without access to unemployment.
The move comes as states are starting to fill gaps as the longest-ever federal government shutdown drags on.
