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President Donald Trump, in a prime-time address, blamed Democrats for the government shutdown.
USA TODAY

Federal workers and their supporters will rally for their jobs Thursday outside the White House as the partial government shutdown rolls through its third week with no end in sight.

Almost half of the 800,000 civilian federal employees are not working, and even those that are won’t be paid until the stalemate is settled. For most, the furlough becomes real Friday when they miss their first payday.

Leisyka Lee, a single mom who has worked for the Bureau of Land Management for 17 years, says her fragile finances require a deal soon.

“I live paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “I earn a living wage when I work. I love my job and I just want to get back to work.”

In Madison, Wisconsin, Carl Houtman has spent the last 21 years working for the Forest Service. The chemical engineer said he is the primary wage earner for his family of four – including two in college.

“Guess what happens this time of year – tuition bills,” he said. Property tax. Christmas credit cards. This is absolutely the worst time of year to miss a paycheck.”

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President Donald Trump has said he would be willing to keep the shutdown going for a year or more if Democrats don’t yield to his demands for $5.7 billion toward funding a border wall. Talks broke down Wednesday, and it was unclear when or if they would restart.

Trump has suggested that liberals should feel compelled to go along, claiming that “most of the people not getting paid are Democrats.” He also has said federal workers support his plans for the wall and his decision to force the shutdown.

“The president has a cavalier attitude because he has no idea what it’s like to rely on a regular paycheck,” said Steve Lenkart, spokesman for the National Federation of Federal Workers.

More: Coast Guard says garage sales can help survive government shutdown

More: Trump threatens emergency declaration for border if shutdown talks stall

More: Analysis: President Donald Trump hits a wall – the  Democratic House

Houtman said Trump’s dismissive attitude to federal workers dampens their hopes for a quick settlement.

“The whole drum beat in the conservative media about how federal employees don’t really do anything, that we are not important, it adds to the stress,” Houtman said.

The federation, which represents more than 100,000 federal workers, is co-sponsoring the rally. Lenkart said the rally Thursday will include congressional leaders and workers who will explain how the shutdown affects them, their families, their agencies and Americans across the country. 

On Tuesday, more than 200 furloughed workers rallied at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Rep. Brendan Boyle, R-Pa., among those in attendance, said more than 11,000 federal workers in his state are affected by the shutdown.

“President Trump has been loud and clear – he doesn’t care that hundreds of thousands of public servants aren’t getting their paychecks because of his manufactured funding crisis,” Boyle said.  “But his words have consequences. Federal workers … are struggling to keep their families in their homes, keep the lights on, and put food on the table.”

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Federal Aviation Administration employee Michael Jessie, who is currently working without pay as an aviation safety inspector for New York international field office overseeing foreign air carriers, holds a sign while attending a news conference at Newark Liberty International Airport, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Newark, N.J. U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez called a news conference at the airport to address the partial government shutdown, which is keeping some airport employees working without pay. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) ORG XMIT: NJJC101
Jenn Hallam demonstrated against the partial government shutdown on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) ORG XMIT: PX204
epa07270355 Tourist on bikes stop at the entrance to Fort Point National Historic Site, a masonry seacoast fortification located on the southern side of the Golden Gate Bride, a popular tourist site is closed in San Francisco, California, USA, 08 January 2019. A partial shutdown of the US federal government continues since Congress and Trump failed to strike a deal before a 22 December 2018 funding deadline due to differences regarding border security. This shutdown, which has become the second-longest in US history, has affected about 800,000 federal workers. About 380,000 federal workers have been furloughed and an additional 420,000 have been working without knowing when they will next be paid. The National Park Service has said it will take funds from entrance fees to pay for cleaning up overflowing trash, patrolling of parks and other services. EPA-EFE/JOHN G. MABANGLO ORG XMIT: JGM01
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 08: David Fitzpatrick, 64, a Park Ranger, holds an American flag and a placard stating "You're fired" with "Smokey the Bear," after a protest rally with furloughed federal workers and area elected officials in front of Independence Hall on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The government shutdown, now lasting 18 days, marks the second longest United States in history, affecting about 800,000 federal employees. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775278689 ORIG FILE ID: 1079379668
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 08: Tourists photograph the Liberty Bell, unable to go inside due to a lapse in federal appropriations on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Furloughed federal workers and area elected officials held a protest rally beside it on Independence Mall. The government shutdown, now lasting 18 days, marks the second longest United States in history, affecting about 800,000 federal employees. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775278689 ORIG FILE ID: 1079379568
A disappointed young visitor, Asa Hazelwood, 3, pauses at the closed gates to the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC on Jan. 2, 2019. Asa's mother was unaware of the zoo's closure. The Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are now closed to visitors during a partial shutdown as Congress and President Trump are at an impasse over funding of Trump's proposed southern border wall.
Emma James, right, and co-worker Vincent Cuenca demonstrate outside the Federal Center on Goodfellow Boulevard, Jan. 4, 2019 in St. Louis. James is a processor in the multifamily housing division. Cuenta processes payments to FEMA contractors.
A Transportation Security Administration officer works at a checkpoint at Miami International Airport, Jan. 6, 2019, in Miami. The TSA acknowledged an increase in the number of its employees calling off work during the partial government shutdown.
Brandon Torres (center), the Branch Chief of Emergency Services at Grand Canyon National Park, directs guests in the park on Jan. 4, 2019. The park was staffed at minimum capacity due to the government shutdown but retained much of its services due to an executive order issued by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to run the park with state funds in the event of a shutdown.
New brewing equipment, rear, sits idle in a warehouse used by the Alementary Brewing Co. in Hackensack, N.J., Jan. 7, 2019. The owners recently invested in one million dollars worth of new equipment and a new 13,000 sq ft warehouse which would increase their capacity five times, but due to the government shutdown, they have been unable to get the required licenses from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
A guard enters the closed National Archives building in Washington, DC on Dec. 22, 2018. A partial US government shutdown began at midnight, Dec. 22, when a funding agreement between Congress and President Trump could not be reached.
Barricades block a closed campground at Joshua Tree National Park on Jan. 4, 2019 in Joshua Tree National Park, Calif. Campgrounds and some roads have been closed at the park due to safety concerns as the park is drastically understaffed during the partial government shutdown.
Volunteers Alexandra (R) and Ruth Degen walk after cleaning a restroom at Joshua Tree National Park on Jan. 4, 2019 in Joshua Tree National Park, California. Volunteers with 'Friends of Joshua Tree National Park' have been cleaning bathrooms and trash at the park as the park is drastically understaffed during the partial government shutdown.
Kunyanatt Chalothorn from Thailand takes a selfie with a closure sign at the entrance to the Smithsonian American Indian Museum in Washington, DC on Jan. 2, 2019.
People watch as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry transports passengers on Jan. 5, 2019, in New York, as the government shutdown enters its third week. New York state funds are being used to keep the attractions open during the shutdown which has affected National Parks.
Nora Brooks a furloughed customer service representative for the Internal Revenue Service poses for a photograph at her home in Philadelphia, Jan. 3, 2019. Brooks has been furloughed, worrying about whether she will need to seek a second job. The agency requires pre-approval to avoid conflicts of interest, but there's no one in the office to sign off.
A donation box sits on the counter as Dany Garcia speaks with visitors at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center in Everglades National Park, Jan. 4, 2019, in Homestead, Fla. Garcia is being paid by the Florida National Parks Association to work in the center during the partial government shutdown. As the shutdown drags on, private organizations, local businesses, volunteers and state governments are putting up the money and manpower to keep national parks across the U.S. open, safe and clean for visitors.
Federal contractor Chris Erickson paints his bathroom, Jan., 4, 2019, in North Salt Lake, Utah. Erickson says he'll run out of vacation days if the shutdown continues. The father of three from Salt Lake City will then crack into his savings, and he'll likely postpone a 14th wedding anniversary trip with his wife to a cabin. Erickson said he likely won't get the chance for reimbursement for the lost days because he's a contractor.
Workmen from the commercial cleanup company 1-800-GOT-JUNK clean up trash on The Ellipse, south of the White House, in Washington, DC on Jan. 4, 2019. The company donated resources to clean up the area.
In this Nov. 21, 2018, file photo, Justin Roth holds a handful of soybeans at the Brooklyn Elevator in Brooklyn, Iowa. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it must delay the release of key crop reports due to the partial government shutdown. The announcement on Jan. 4, 2019 left investors and farmers without vital information during an already tumultuous time for agricultural markets. The USDA planned to release the reports Jan. 11 but said that even if the shutdown ended immediately, the agency wouldn't have time to release the reports as scheduled.
Visitors to Great Smoky Mountain National Park drive through the park on Jan. 5, 2019.
Correctional Officer Joseph Pellicano who is employed at United States Penitentiary at Canaan has been on staff for 12 and half years and will be working without pay until the government shutdown ends in Jessup, Pa., on Jan. 4, 2019.
Two surfers walk past an open garbage bin and piles of trash at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, Jan. 3, 2019.
Rebecca Maclean, a housing program specialist for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Pittsburgh, sits outside her home in Pittsburgh, Jan. 3, 2019. Maclean, 41, has been on furlough since Dec. 21. Her family's financial outlook isn't dire yet since her husband, Dan Thompson, owns a knife-making business and works as an elected constable. But the couple recently sat down to prioritize which bills must be paid on time and which can be paid late without dinging their credit history.
Visitors walk past the Wall of Names at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pa. on Jan. 2, 2019. Signs were posted on all doors stating that the facilities were closed because of the government shutdown, but that the grounds are open from sunrise to sunset.
Trash lays on the grounds of the National Mall during the partial shutdown of the U.S. government on Jan. 2, 2019.
Mike Gayzagian, a 49-year-old Transportation Security Administration officer at Boston's Logan International Airport, speaks with a reporter from The Associated Press at his home in Watertown, Mass on Jan. 3, 2019. Gayzagian, who has worked for the TSA more than a decade, got his last pre-shutdown paycheck last week, and he continues to report to work, as all TSA officers have since the government closed. The 49-year-old said worrying about finances has made it difficult to concentrate on the work of keeping airports safe.
A stop sign is seen near the White House during a government shutdown in Washington on Dec. 27, 2018.

Some workers even started GoFundMe campaigns, but the Office of Government Ethics warned that standard ethics rules apply. Such donations would likely be considered gifts, and rules for accepting gifts are stringent.

The U.S. Coast Guard thought it was being helpful when it posted a tip sheet with a list of suggestions such as holding garage sales, babysitting or tutoring to make ends meet. One last option – declaring bankruptcy. The tip sheet was later removed from the agency’s website. 

The work the employees do is also affected. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said his agency has cut back significantly on safety inspections of domestic food.

Lee, a former firefighter who now does education outreach for BLM, said vegetation fuel reduction work normally performed this time of year across the West is on hold, which could loom large when fire season rolls around in the spring.

Houtman said he has research reports sitting idle on his desk, and he has a graduate student hamstrung in her efforts to complete experiments required for her thesis.

But he admits the financial issues remain front and center. A kind neighbor brought frozen food from their freezer to help his family out, he said.

“We are not that desperate yet,” he said. “But we took the food.”