Joann Wilson, 74, does not want a government shutdown. Last fall, her husband’s social security check was stolen and cashed in Florida, she said, and she’s been working with the Social Security Administration to restore the missing funds. A government shutdown would put another wrinkle in the process, she said.
“We live from paycheck to paycheck,” said Wilson, of Marietta. “This is ridiculous … [a shutdown] will affect everyone, for sure.”
Amy Staniszewski’s husband, Tim, is stationed at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in south Georgia. If there is a shutdown, military personnel will continue to work, but their pay will be delayed until Congress passes a funding bill to cover spending for the rest of the year.
“We’ll pay our mortgage, our car payments and literally eat Ramen Noodles,” said Staniszewski, who has a full-time banking job. “But I think we’re on the fortunate side. Not everybody has two incomes.”
She said the possibility of a shutdown creates other worries for families who rely on military bases.
“Will the daycare centers and schools on base shut down? Will the commissary stay open?” she asked. “The people who work in those places aren’t military, but they’re federal employees.”
Mike Roberson, 31, of Duluth, applied for unemployment insurance Thursday. He said he worries that if a federal shutdown occurs, he will not get his unemployment benefits until it is resolved.
"I'm not sure how it would affect me, but I don't think it would be in a good way," he said.
Lamarco Kinard, 34, of Atlanta, said he is concerned that a shutdown would mean an interruption to his unemployment benefits.
"It's a concern," Kinard said. "I would have to dip into my savings."
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