Federal workers take shutdown protest to McConnell

(16 Jan 2019) Dozens of furloughed federal workers visited the Capitol Hill office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to make a personal appeal to end the partial government shutdown because of the financial hardship it's causing. The workers could be seen with McConnell's staff inside his office, but not McConnell himself, as they made their direct appeals. So far, President Donald Trump has not moved off his demand to have Congress provide $5.7 billion to build his promised border wall with Mexico. Democrats say they will discuss border security once the government has reopened, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is refusing money for the wall Democrats view as ineffective and immoral. Furloughed workers feel as though they are caught in the middle. "I worked hard to get what I have, and now I'm almost there the chance of losing everything," said Faye Smith, who moved to Washington from Atlanta and is a security guard with the Smithsonian. "I've been at the pawnshop, I've pawned everything that I can imagine, and now, I'm just at my wit's end, she said. Her big worry -- that she'll soon be evicted from her home. McConnell says he doesn't want to waste the Senate's time and will only bring up measures that Trump will sign into law. The effects of the partial government closure have intensified around the country, with workers facing deepening anxieties about mortgage payments and unpaid bills. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...