INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A longtime federal employee on Thursday said the federal government shutdown feels a little like the record 2018-19 shutdown.

Gail Groves has worked for the federal government for 40 years as of this month, and she recently became the new president of National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 49, which covers the state of Indiana. Her tenure means she has gone through almost every government shutdown in U.S. history. She told News 8 this current shutdown feels a little different, but it reminds her of the most recent shutdown in 2018-19, which lasted a record 34 full days before President Donald Trump signed a funding bill on day 35.

“It’s got that feel to it,” Groves said. “We’re not sure, but I can’t give an ultimate answer as far as how long this is going to last. We don’t know.”

Groves and her husband are both federal employees. She said it’s not uncommon for married couples to both work for the same agency. In addition, she said many of her colleagues are single parents. In both cases, that means a federal government shutdown cuts off their sole source of income.

“I don’t even know a word to give it. It’s nerve-wracking,” Groves said. “No pay is coming in, and we just have to sit and wait to see when we’re going to end up getting paid.”

Groves said federal employees should receive a paycheck on Oct. 10 for the current pay period. After that, she said the next paycheck normally would arrive on Oct. 24, but a shutdown could jeopardize that. Unlike previous shutdowns, there is now a federal law requiring employees to receive back pay.

Groves said there were 24,690 federal employees in the state of Indiana as of Wednesday. Key employers include the VA and the Defense Finance Accounting Service, the latter of which is headquartered in Lawrence, Indiana.

According to federal furlough data obtained by CNN, the Department of Defense (DOD) has furloughed nearly 335,000 people, or 45% of its staff. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has furloughed more than 42,000 people, nearly half its workforce. So far, just 3% of Veterans Affairs (VA) staff have been furloughed and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has not yet sent anyone home. The overwhelming majority of Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees are still working, albeit without pay. Those two departments include nearly all federal law enforcement agencies. The hardest-hit agency in terms of percentage of workforce is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has sent home nearly 9 in 10 staffers–more than 13,000 in all.

Groves said the impact of furloughs goes beyond those immediate employees.

“It also affects the American public because crucial services are shut down, and so, they really have nowhere to reach out to,” Groves said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday said if a Friday afternoon vote to reopen the government fails, the Senate likely won’t vote again until Monday. In the meantime, Groves said she is telling her colleagues to remain positive.

“We’ve been here before, we’ll probably be here again and they just need to have hope, because eventually, this will all work out,” Groves said.

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