With the f ederal government taking steps to reopen , everyone will live happily ever after, right?

Wrong.

In fact, the nightmare is just beginning for many who are hurting the most in our community.

I met one federal worker – let’s call him "Joe" – who has missed his car payment twice, triggering a higher interest rate clause on the remaining balance (this is known as a penalty APR).

This also caused Joe’s FICO score to plummet, meaning he will pay even more for the car he needs to buy next month for his 16-year-old son.

I met another federal employee – a single mother we’ll call "Janet" – who has been “dumpster diving” behind local restaurants late at night looking for food she can puree and feed her toddler because she was already in dire financial straits before the shutdown.

See Full Page