EPA employees reported to work Wednesday, even though funding ran out for the federal government at midnight.
Several said they had received emails from the agency the prior evening, informing them funds were still available for their programs and they were exempt from the lapse in appropriations.
Although it may have appeared to be just another workday — staffers filed into the agency’s downtown Washington headquarters or went for their coffee break in the nearby plaza — EPA employees said there was something off about this spending stop. Many pointed to the Trump administration’s threat of mass firings if the government shut down.
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“It feels very different this time. It feels much more chaotic,” said one agency staffer.
