SALT LAKE CITY — As the federal government shutdown stretches into its fourth week, thousands of Utah workers are grappling with mounting financial strain and emotional stress, uncertain when their next paycheck will come.
Instead of getting paid Friday, many federal employees across the state spent the day tightening budgets, applying for unemployment, and seeking assistance from food pantries — stopgap measures that do little to ease the growing anxiety.
“The anxiety is starting to really rise in a lot of people,” said Robert Lawrence, president of the National Treasury Employees’ Union Chapter 67, which represents IRS employees in Ogden. “They’re starting to wonder how they’re going to pay their bills, how they’re going to pay their mortgage.”
IRS Workers Among the Hardest Hit
The IRS employs roughly 6,500 workers in Ogden, and Lawrence estimates that most are currently furloughed, unable to work or collect pay. Some employees received partial pay earlier in the month, while others have already applied for unemployment benefits, which Lawrence said are unlikely to meet basic needs.
“What makes it so frustrating is that we have nothing to do with what’s going on in D.C.,” he said. “We have a job to do, and we do it proudly. We just expect to get paid for it.”
The uncertainty deepened when about 100 Ogden workers received layoff notices earlier this month — part of a broader federal workforce reduction — before a judge temporarily blocked the terminations.
Many IRS staff members, Lawrence said, earn close to $15 per hour, a modest income that leaves little room for missed paychecks. “You can’t support a family on that,” he said. “To miss even one paycheck is potentially devastating.”
Shutdown Ripples Through Zion National Park
The impact extends beyond Ogden. In southern Utah, rangers at Zion National Park — many of whom remain unpaid — are struggling emotionally and financially as well.
“On a typical day, you’d see rangers everywhere, and that’s not the case anymore,” said Tiffany Stouffer, development director for the Zion Forever Project, a nonprofit supporting the park. “Very few are working, and even fewer are working with pay.”
To help, the organization launched a fundraising drive Friday to provide mental health and counseling support for park staff. Stouffer said many rangers worry about being recalled to duty once the shutdown ends, only to face layoffs later.
“These are career professionals with multiple degrees and years of experience,” she said. Fighting back tears, she added, “They’re Utahns. They’re part of the fabric of our communities, and they’re suffering.”
Community Support Steps In
Across the state, community organizations are stepping up to fill gaps. At Switchpoint, which runs a food pantry in St. George, spokesperson Zachary Almaguer said several furloughed federal employees — including workers from public lands agencies — have sought food assistance for the first time.
“They’re just trying to make ends meet,” Almaguer said.
Meanwhile, at the Salt Lake City International Airport, officials have opened a pantry for furloughed federal workers, offering groceries and household essentials as the shutdown drags on.
“Change Has to Come From Both Sides”
For many, frustration has turned to fatigue. Lawrence said IRS employees are doing their best to remain patient, but morale is deteriorating.
“I’m not siding with either party,” he said. “Change has to come from both sides.”
As the impasse continues, thousands of Utah’s federal workers — from tax processors to park rangers — face the same reality: an uncertain timeline, unpaid bills, and a growing sense that they’ve been forgotten in a political standoff far from home.
