ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - A bipartisan group of local Maryland officials in the Baltimore region are decrying the effects the partial federal shutdown is having on tens of thousands of their constituents.
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh spoke about the shutdown Wednesday with four chief executives from neighboring counties.
Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski says it's wrong for federal officials to turn federal workers "into pawns of a political game." The Democrat says: "I'm tired of seeing our people suffer."
Harford County Executive Barry Glassman, a Republican, says "You don't just shut down the government when you don't get your way."
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, a Democrat, says his county will have to supplement funds that are used to help people with rent and utility cutoffs.
Food Banks Step Up
BALTIMORE (AP) - Furloughed federal workers struggling to pay their bills have shown up at an emergency food bank in Baltimore to pick up groceries amid mounting need.
As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history drags on, dozens of federal workers and government contractors who have not seen a paycheck in weeks say they've been forced to seek out help where they can find it.
Bobby Shackleford has worked for the Coast Guard for 20 years. The union official whose been working without pay since late December says he helped organize Wednesday's food giveaway because he knows the cash crunch for many federal workers is punishing. He say he's got to "dig a little deeper" in his own freezer to prepare meals.
