Why some federal workers aren't scared by the threat of shutdown layoffs
toggle caption Maansi Srivastava/NPR
As the federal government appeared headed for a shutdown early last week, Jenna Norton joined a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol to urge lawmakers not to be cowed by the Trump administration's threat of mass layoffs.
"As a federal worker, I am here to tell you that every awful thing that would happen in a shutdown — shuttering programs that Americans rely on, damaging our economy, firing federal workers — all of this is already happening," said Norton, a program director with the National Institutes of Health, who spoke in her personal capacity alongside other civil servants.
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Noting that the Supreme Court has largely allowed the Trump administration to move forward with its agenda, Norton called on lawmakers to step in.
"Congress is the only remaining chance we have to stop the gutting of public services Americans depend on," she said.
Now furloughed, Norton continues to implore members of Congress to reject a spending deal that maintains the status quo.
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