The latest version of a malfunctioning Washington convinced NASA aerospace engineer Edward Amatucci to break a beloved household rite: Over the weekend, after the partial government shutdown went into effect, the 54-year-old furloughed telescope specialist brought down the American flag that normally flies outside his Maryland home.

“I still have pride in my country, but I am very disappointed in Congress. My only way I can quietly object is to take down the American flag,” said Amatucci, who lives paycheck to paycheck, helping support his wife and three grown children. “America is not together now. We’ve lost our way. Is it Trump? I don’t know. He’s a symbol for what’s happening.”

The partial government shutdown most powerfully affects the lives of low-wage workers, particularly those who clean and secure Washington buildings.

But it also affects people living in metropolitan areas across the country.

Perhaps most hard hit are those who work as contractors who typically don’t win congressional approval to recoup lost wages once the government reopens.

Many federal workers are already plotting side hustles in the private sector.

Amatucci, the NASA engineer, is also a licensed real estate agent and plans to make up for his lost wages by trying to sell homes.

Raekwon Snyder, 23, a contractor with the Food and Drug Administration who lives in Baltimore, tends bar on the weekends and said he is considering more shifts. He might also return to driving for Lyft or Uber.

“I don’t like it, it’s not fun, especially when you’re sitting at work talking to your co-workers, saying I don’t know when I’ll see you guys again,” he said.


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