Federal workers react on social media as government shutdown halts pay

Federal workers are flooding social media Wednesday with confusion and frustration as the government shutdown leaves most of them without pay.

On the Reddit forum r/NIH , joined by 33,000 members dedicated to the National Institutes of Health, employees asked whether consultants must continue working without pay and whether nonessential workers could still access their campuses.

Others joked about taking Tylenol for their “furlough headaches,” referencing President Donald Trump’s recent controversial remarks linking the pain reliever to autism .

Workers also sharply criticized a Health and Human Services email sent to all agency employees just hours before the government closed its doors. Many called it “pure partisan” and “disturbing.”

The email, sent Tuesday afternoon, read in