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With financial distress, come fraudsters

Jan 21, 2019
As the partial federal shutdown continues with no visible end in sight, banks and creditors have offered the up-to-800,000 affected workers loans and payment deferments so they can keep up with their finances. At the same time, fraudulent agencies may be targeting these workers. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Fed Gov. Lael Brainard on the longest shutdown in history

Jan 18, 2019
The economy has been "pretty healthy," she says, but the shutdown is one of the downside risks the Fed is watching.
"Every time that the economy gets to a shutdown or a debt limit, you really do sense that desire from Americans across the country for the government to function well, and to be predictable, and I think that's what we're seeing today. People want to go back to work. They want to get their paychecks. This is affecting communities all over the country," said member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors Lael Brainard.
 
Stuart Isett/Fortune

Thousands of federal works file unemployment claims

Jan 18, 2019
More apply for benefits as the partial government shutdown drags on.
Albert Romero, 50, has filed for unemployment insurance while he waits to return to his job at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Boulder, Colorado.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

Government workers affected by shutdown get some help from their banks

Jan 18, 2019
Some financial institutions are offering interest-free loans and waiving late fees on mortgages and credit card payments for government workers who aren’t getting paid during the shutdown. That’s smart business because many of those workers will get their paychecks as soon as the government gets back to business. Click the audio player above to hear […]

Super Bowl LIII and the shutdown

Jan 18, 2019
If the partial government shutdown continues, it could complicate plans in Atlanta to manage the influx of travelers and fans.
View of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, where Super Bowl LIII will take place.
Brett Davis/Pool/Getty Images

Shutdown could affect security clearances

Jan 18, 2019
Skip a bill payment, get bad credit. Get bad credit, lose your security clearance.
Social worker Pam Harrison holds a sign protesting the government shutdown at the James V. Hansen Federal Building on January 10, 2019 in Ogden, Utah.
Natalie Behring/Getty Images
Companies like Uber that have filed for IPOs are stalled while the SEC lawyers and accountants who work on IPOs are shut down along with the government.
Adam Berry/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Definition of an essential worker does a shutdown shift

Jan 17, 2019
Thousands of government employees are furloughed during this government shutdown.
Travelers are screened by Transportation Security Administration workers at a security check point at O'Hare Airport on June 2, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

The partial government shutdown makes business nostalgic for bureaucracy

Jan 16, 2019
With the partial government shutdown hurtling toward the one-month mark, companies are starting to long for a little old-fashioned government bureaucracy. Because while it may slow things down, without it, it’s pretty hard to get anything done. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.