As the U.S. federal government shutdown passed its 35th day this week—a new national record—approximately seven hundred thousand furloughed workers and another seven hundred thousand still working without pay voiced growing indignation at the behaviour of the administration of President Donald Trump.

They characterised the actions of senior officials as “out of control” and said the standoff was merely the latest flashpoint in a broader campaign of pressure against the civil service.

Federal employees describe the current impasse as a continuation of sweeping efforts by the administration to reshape the workforce: mass firings, often reversed or blocked by courts; aggressive buyouts and early-retirement schemes; threats to withhold back pay from furloughed staff.

One employee at the Agency for Occupational Safety and Health, Micah Niemeier-Walsh, said her agency “has been effectively shut down for many months already because of the reductions in force … it’s become out of control.”

Another worker, Omar Algeciras of the Department of Labour, said the government’s response to the shutdown amounted to “harassment, bullying and attacks on people that are simply trying to do their best to provide a service … to American workers.” The union representing these staff, the American Federation of Government Employees, has called for an immediate end to the shutdown—though it notes it is not explicitly assigning blame to either major party.

While frontline workers struggle with missed pay-checks, uncertainty over job security and growing mental-health burdens, the administration maintains the stalemate is the fault of Democratic lawmakers.

White House Deputy Secretary Abigail Jackson accused Democrats of holding the American people “hostage” to push for expanded healthcare benefits for undocumented immigrants, and insisted “President Trump wants the government reopened— the Democrats can choose to reopen it at any point.”

Meanwhile, legal proceedings continue to curtail the administration’s capacity to downsize agencies during the shutdown.

A federal judge in San Francisco extended injunctions blocking mass firings of federal employees, ruling that planned reductions in force (RIFs) appeared politically motivated and exceeded executive authority.

The shutdown, which began on October one after Congress failed to approve funding, is now officially the longest in U.S. history, eclipsing the previous 34-day record.

With essential services disrupted and federal workers stuck in limbo, the internal tension within agencies—and the public repercussions—keep mounting.