As expected paycheques have disappeared, bills continue to pile up for federal workers on the 20th day of the U.S. government shutdown.
But the U.S. Coast Guard has a solution for civilian workers left in the lurch due to the government shutdown.
In a tip sheet that has since been removed from its website, the agency suggests employees take up babysitting or hold a garage sale to make ends meet.
It also suggests making a budget and tightening spending.
The tip sheet, which is part of the Coast Guard’s support program, was first reported by the Washington Post yesterday. It was taken down from the program’s website later that day.
“The information in this document does not reflect the Coast Guard’s current efforts to support its workforce during the lapse,” Coast Guard spokesperson Chad Saylor told USA TODAY. “It has been removed from the CG Support website.”
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The Coast Guard receives funding from the Department of Homeland Security. While there are over 40,000 active-duty service people working without pay, there are also 8,500 civilian workers, many of whom are furloughed.
In the document, there are seven suggestions to help workers, including steps titled “Crunch the numbers” and “Get lean.”
In the “Supplement Your Income” section, the tip sheet suggests selling unwanted items at a garage sale or via the internet.
It also suggests babysitting, tutoring students and turning “your hobby into income.”
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Another section says employees should be upfront with creditors if they are falling behind on payments. Separately, the Coast Guard has provided a letter that employees can send to creditors saying the shutdown is “beyond our members’ control and is expected to be a temporary situation.”
The government shutdown is in its 20th day.
There is no expected date for the end of the shutdown as of Thursday. U.S. President Donald Trump says he “said bye-bye” to Democrats during a meeting because they wouldn’t budge on his request for funding a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Trump has said he would consider declaring a national emergency to secure funding for the wall.