KANSAS CITY, Mo. — IRS workers say when a government shutdown looms, they grow anxious.
But Friday evening, the House approved a stopgap funding bill.
The bill will be sent to the Senate, where senators must approve it before the midnight deadline to prevent a federal government shutdown.
The stopgap measure would extend government funding through March.
Any decision directly affects IRS workers in Kansas City.
“This is not a time when missing things is supposed to be part of the season, and here we are,” said Union Steward Sterling Price.
Price is one of almost 6,000 IRS employees in Kansas City, according to the National Treasury Employees Union.
He feels like he could be affected by a government shutdown at any point.
The constant fear affects both his personal and professional life.
“That extra stress makes it harder for me to perform at the level I want to and do things correctly,” Price said.
His anxiety is shared by his coworkers.
Daniel Scharpenburg has worked for the IRS for 15 years.
This isn't the first time Scharpenburg dealt with the fear of not getting his next paycheck.
“We still feel kind of traumatized because it was such a difficult time,” Scharpenburg said, looking back at the 2018 government shutdown.
It’s a feeling they know, sooner or later, might knock on their door again. “It's stressful every day. It feels like there's a weight we're carrying, this anxiety,” said Scharpenburg. “It feels like Christmas is going to be ruined for us, right?”
—
KSHB 41 reporter Fe Silva covers education stories involving K-12. Share your story idea with Fe.
