ECONOMY

Furloughed FDA worker braces amid back pay threats

South of Denver, FDA microbiologist Stephanie Rogers moved in with her mother months ago, bracing for soaring costs and a new administration focused on shrinking government. Now furloughed, the NTEU chapter president crammed in medical appointments, refilled prescriptions, tapped retirement savings, sought leniency on her car loan, and applied for unemployment. A broken freezer erased a stockpile of meat. With Trump floating denial of back pay and threatening mass firings, she weighs skipping her daughters' activities and even leaving her dream job, saying essential work, such as food inspections, goes unnoticed until it stops.

Reviewed by JQJO team

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