When the government shuts down , many federal workers go without paychecks, whether they are deemed essential and required to show up for work or whether they're furloughed for the duration of the shutdown.

Such employees are by law entitled to back pay once a funding agreement is reached, but independent contractors who sell goods or services to the U.S. government are not similarly protected.

Dan Koh, the former chief of staff at the Labor Department under President Biden, recently said on his podcast that workers employed by companies that have contracts with the government are hurt in a shutdown.

That's because there's no guarantee such workers will be paid once the government reopens, according to Koh. But even federal workers who eventually receive back pay can suffer during a

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