Niall Carson/ZUMA
While President Donald Trump continues to hurl insults at Democrats and rage-tweet his way through the partial government shutdown, the US Office of Personnel Management has provided furloughed workers with sample letters they can send to creditors, landlords, and mortgage companies outlining why they might not be able to cover payments they owe because of the shutdown.
Feds, here are sample letters you may use as a guide when working with your creditors during this furlough. If you need legal advice please consult with your personal attorney. https://t.co/t6h6OzALsS
— OPM (@USOPM) December 27, 2018
The letters, intended to assist the estimated 800,000 federal workers who have been sent home or who are now working without pay, were swiftly mocked on social media for including several eyebrow-raising recommendations, such as the suggestion that furloughed workers volunteer to perform maintenance duties in exchange for reduced rent payments. Painting and carpentry were listed as tasks hard-pressed federal employees could offer to take on, as Trump continues to threaten Democrats and Central American countries from the Oval Office.
The US Office of Personnel Management even offered this outrageous piece of advice: US government workers who have stopped receiving their paycheck and who need additional guidance ought to retain a personal attorney—an expensive and undoubtedly unrealistic option for many.
Just before the shutdown, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) expressed skepticism at the idea that some federal workers lived paycheck to paycheck.
https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1078532648237232128
For those who think no federal workers live paycheck-to-paycheck, the US Office of Personnel Management has sent furloughed federal workers sample letters to use with their creditors and landlords when they can’t make payments because they are not getting paid. This is sobering. https://t.co/VuJMN4ezCi
— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) December 28, 2018
You can read the official sample letters below:
