Federal employee Debbie Young doesn't know when her next paycheck will come, but she said she is more concerned about how younger employees, who aren't approaching retirement age as she is, will deal with not getting paid during the ongoing government shutdown.

Young, of Sugarcreek Township, Armstrong County, said she plans to retire from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Retirement Operations Center in Boyers, Marion Township, when she turns 65 on Feb. 1, but many younger people — including married couples who work there — face financial uncertainty until they start getting paid again.

At least 400 people work at the center processing retirement and health and life insurance claims from retired federal employees living across the country and around the world.

They have been required to report to work during the shutdown because their jobs have been deemed essential, Young said.

However, they won't get paid until President Donald Trump and Congress resolve the shutdown, which began Dec. 22.

The shutdown began after Trump and Congress couldn't agree on an appropriations bill to fund government operations in the 2019 fiscal year that resulted from Congress refusing to provide the $5 billion Trump demands to continue building the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

About 400,000 federal employees are expected to be furloughed until the impasse is resolved.

“We have to work each and every day, but we're not getting paid. We're not getting paid for a job we have to come in and do,” Young said.

She said she is close to retiring, her husband has income and their house is paid off, so she isn't concerned about her future, but many young people — including couples and veterans — who work there and have other government jobs probably aren't as fortunate.

Young wonders how young employees will put food on the table and pay bills, and how the economy will fare if the shutdown drags on.

“A lot of federal employees are young couples who work together. It's unrealistic for these younger people. This is going to have a trickle-down effect. The township is not getting taxes from wages and we can't spend on retail. If we don't get paid, they don't get an income,” Young said about retailers. “It also affects the township. They'll have less money to put into getting the snow off the roads.”

She said her last paycheck came on Dec. 28 and Tuesday is her next scheduled twice monthly payday. Employees are supposed to receive back pay when the shutdown ends, she said.

Young said she has contacted the offices of U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., to encourage them to work to end the shut down. Casey's staff said he supports ending the shutdown, but Toomey's staff said they were overrun with calls about the shutdown and advised her to leave a message.

“I am actually a Republican, not a Democrat like Trump said all federal employees are,” Young added.