[silverleaf]

They are being told this time the pay will not be made up
It is a 20% pay cut

It will also be a 20% cut in services, mostly you will feel the effect in timeliness, such as getting a passport or dealing with a VA claim or social security etc
or getting a federal approval to begin or continue some state and local projects and programs

For the next 22 weeks or so, if you happen to need, on a Friday, any service staffed or supported by a federal agency - good luck. Lots of voicemail - maybe. Employees are being told not only will they not work, but that they CANNOT work on a furlough day.

As a former AO in DoD, I am sure Congress and the WH are going to patiently wait for responses to demands for immediate information

NOT

[Lancey Howard]

Fortunately, I never have any business with the federal government except, of course, when they are confiscating the fruits of my labor through their IRS. We should have “sequestration” cuts every year. Then the government would grow ever more huge at a slightly slower rate.