This story was originally produced by the Portsmouth Herald. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Some Portsmouth Naval Shipyard civilian employees have turned to Footprints food pantry and the Mainspring social services collective since the Oct. 1 start of the U.S. government shutdown.
Yard workers have inquired about food and fuel assistance in the two weeks since government funding expired, setting up a showdown between Democrat and Republican lawmakers in the nation’s capital.
“We’ve had a few phone calls,” said Tim Jacobs, Footprints’ market manager, about Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees.
Related news:
- The federal government is still shut down. Here's what that means across the country
- Judge pauses shutdown layoffs at more than 30 federal agencies
- Amid shutdown, Trump administration guts department overseeing special education
The overwhelming majority of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workforce is exempted from the furlough by the Department of Defense, leaving most of the 7,700-plus workforce no choice but to work without pay.
Continue reading at Seacoastonline.
