Capitol Still Humming With Staff Amid Many Agency Furloughs

Hundreds of thousands of furloughed government employees are barred from working at federal agencies as the shutdown enters its second week, but Capitol Hill is a different story as most staff remain on the job.

More than a dozen House and Senate offices told Bloomberg Government they’ve designated their full staffs as “essential,” meaning they will continue to work through the shutdown. Those who have worked on Capitol Hill in past shutdowns say this is common practice in many Republican and Democratic offices, and there were few signs that many congressional offices are closed or even downsized during the ongoing funding stalemate.

“Everyone in my office is essential — if they’re not essential I wouldn’t have them working for me,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said in a hallway interview Tuesday that he’s been able to keep his staff on. “They’re all essential,” he said.

One exception is that interns can’t work in the House, though they can in the Senate.

The workers most impacted are those who work in Capitol locations that have been shuttered, like food service operations, barber shops, and gift stores. Many of those employees are contractors, meaning that even if they have to work through the shutdown, they’re not guaranteed back pay when it ends.

It’s a far cry from agencies like the Department of Education — where 87% of the workforce can’t come in right now, according to its contingency plan.

Staffers who work directly for lawmakers are guaranteed back pay under a law signed in 2019, though recent comments from President Donald Trump have called into question whether the administration will try to deny them a paycheck. House staffers get paid monthly, so they shouldn’t experience pay delay unless the shutdown drags on for weeks more. Senate aides get paid twice per month and would feel the pain of missing paychecks sooner.

Read More: House Offices Receive Shutdown Guidance as Funding Lapse Looms

“That’s probably not a good message to send right now to people who are not being paid,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said about the administration’s comments on back pay.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have asked for their salaries to be withheld during the shutdown or promised to donate it. Lawmaker pay is guaranteed in the Constitution.

A Typical Day

Outside and inside congressional office buildings Tuesday, it looked like a typical day.

Roughly 460 people exited the House-side escalators by the Capitol South Metro station Tuesday morning between 8:40 and 9 a.m., according to a Bloomberg Government count. Many of them displayed congressional identification badges and almost all walked toward the one open Cannon office building entrance. The line outside, by 9:02 a.m., was at least 60 people long and wrapped halfway around the block — a result of limited building entrances during the shutdown.

By 9:15 a.m., the Starbucks kiosk in the House complex’s Longworth office building had a steady stream of customers. By 10:30, a.m., all but three tables were occupied in the building’s basement dining area while chattering aides filtered in and out. Every table was claimed by 1 p.m. during the typical lunchtime rush.

The Senate is still holding hearings and markups, keeping committees and their staffs busy.

One change: staffers can’t confirm scheduling requests or tours during a shutdown, a message displayed on lawmakers’ websites.

The House isn’t holding hearings as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has canceled session for a second week straight, but most offices have remained open — many with “open” signs on the doors blaming the opposite party for the current shutdown.

A rare exception is an out-of-office sign on Rep. GT Thompson’s (R-Pa.) personal office door in Cannon, which pins blame on Democrats and reads “Congressman Thompson’s Office will remain closed until this madness stops.” But some of the Pennsylvania Republican’s staff, including those who work for him as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, are still working.