AP reader question: Do federal workers get paid during the government shutdown

Here’s a question about the shutdown submitted by an Associated Press reader, John P.:

Who gets paid during a federal shutdown?

When it comes to federal employees, everybody is supposed to get paid eventually, but only a few get their paychecks while the government shutdown is still happening.

The president and members of Congress still get timely paychecks, since that’s set out in the U.S. Constitution. Workers whose duties are funded through sources other than congressional appropriations, like postal revenue or application fees, also get paid on time.

It’s up to each federal agency to designate which of its employees are “essential” or “excepted,” both of which mean the same thing in this case. They keep working during a shutdown, typically without getting paid until government fund