COVINGTON, Ky. — "My life, my job is not another brick in your wall," one sign read as federal employees rallied Thursday to call for an end to the weeks long government shutdown.
Employees from the Internal Revenue Service and other federal agencies rallied outside the IRS Service Center at 301 West 4th St.
The government shutdown has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay. The shutdown centers on President Trump’s demands for $5 billion to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Debbie Mullikin has been through shutdowns before in her 22 years with the IRS. But she’s never seen anything like this.
"We are human beings with families and micro economies that depend on us … we come in and do our job because the government determined that it was an important job to have,” Mullikin said.
A local group, United We Stand Cincinnati, organized another rally outside Republican Sen. Rob Portman’s office at 312 Walnut St. in Cincinnati later Thursday afternoon.
The shutdown, which started Dec. 22, is within days of becoming the longest on record.
More on the effects and possible effects of the partial government shutdown:
- Union says TSA officers are quitting due to the government shutdown
- Your cellphone could be blowing up with robocalls because of the government shutdown
- Government shutdown could delay your tax refund
- Food stamps guaranteed through February, USDA says
- From weddings to beer, the surprising impacts of the government shutdown
