The partial government shutdown reached its 16th day Sunday, with thousands of federal workers now going into a third week without a paycheck.
The shutdown is affecting federal offices, TSA workers and prisons, and workers at Devens Federal Medical Center are feeling the effects.
Federal workers at the prison have been through this before, but it doesn't make it any easier, especially with no end in sight.
"This is the third shutdown in five years," Devens Federal Prison Union Vice President Michael Guerriero said. "Each time, we were required to report to work.”
More than 400 union employees don't know when their next paycheck will come, but are still required to go to work.
[ Inmates eat steak while federal prison guards go unpaid ]
“We still have to come to work, we still have to protect the community," Guerriero said. "We still have to protect the inmates and the staff that are in this institution, and we aren’t getting paid.”
They say their paychecks shouldn't be used as a bargaining chip during political debates, and they say preparing for this kind of uncertainty isn't realistic for everyone.
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“It’s unfair that the federal work force is the only workforce in the nation that can be not paid because their elected officials can’t do their jobs and pass a budget," Guerriero said. "I don’t know many people that have three checks saved in their checking account, I surely don’t.”
Like many other impacted federal employees, not knowing when they'll be paid for the work they're doing is taking a toll on morale.
"What’s funny is that nothing has changed for the inmates," Devens Federal Prison Union President David Martinez said. "They still have everything they received three months ago. However, the staff won’t be paid this coming paycheck.”
>>RELATED: Inmates eat steak while federal prison guards go unpaid
Some banks and other financial institutions are starting to offer workers low-interest loans to help fill the gap until the shutdown ends and they are retroactively paid.
“The fact that Washington can’t come to an agreement and not do their jobs and still get paid, that’s what’s the most disrespectful out of this whole situation," Guerriero said.