Federal firefighter says he’s worried about paying rent if shutdown goes aheadpublished at 18:58 BST
Sakshi Venkatraman
Live reporter
Image source, William CridgeImage caption,
Department of Defense firefighter William Cridge
Firefighter William Cridge says he will be expected to work without pay during the government shutdown.
The 38-year-old single father-of-three tells me he lives pay cheque-to-pay cheque.
“No matter what, I have to be here, whether the government works or not,” he said. “We’re spending however long they take to argue with themselves about nothing without pay.”
He feels like no one in the government cares about federal workers anymore and that the climate is against them.
“It’s me who protects your kids,” he says. “You send your kids to the army, it’s me who puts the Band-Aids on, it’s me who makes sure they’re not on fire.”
Cridge works for the Department of Defense, and though his job is similar to that of a local firefighter, his obstacles are entirely different. He says his union is trying to do what they can, but they’re pushing back against the federal government.
“There is no fight for us,” he said. “My direct supervisors are Congress and Donald Trump. We have no one else to turn to.”
He’ll get back-pay once the government reopens, but until then, he’s in limbo. Even with his current wages, Cridge says he has to work a second job to afford food for his kids.
“I’ve already been having issues getting rent in on time,” he said.
