federal workers

Demand for free lasagnas shot up during the government shutdown. One Utahn turned her birthday into a lasagna-making party to put a dent in the backlog.

Demand is up from new and existing clients. Utah Food Bank says the new state funds will help, but they’ll support only a small portion of their distribution.

Los trabajadores federales representan una buena parte de los clientes en los restaurantes del centro. Con los empleados suspendidos gastando menos, los dueños de negocios están preocupados.

Nearly 1,500 Treasury employees were laid off nationwide. In Ogden, some at the IRS still working for pay are worried about being furloughed if they take any time off during the shutdown.

Federal workers make up a good portion of customers at downtown restaurants. With furloughed workers spending less, business owners are worried.

Overall, the voters KUER and PBS Utah spoke to are pleased with where the country is headed. There were, however, a few worries about the economy and the rule of law in Trump’s second term.

Some Utahns have filed for unemployment while looking for new roles outside of the government. Others are cutting back spending to prepare for being laid off.

The federal government is the largest employer in Weber and Davis counties. Leaders worry mass layoffs could hurt the local economy.

The list, published by the General Services Administration on Tuesday, was revised once and, a day later, deleted from the GSA website. Three buildings in Utah had been listed.

An estimated 1,000 National Park Service employees have been fired so far. That includes at least 20 rangers, by one unofficial count, from Utah’s popular and busy national parks.

The February mass firing of National Park Service employees has hit parks in southern Utah, including Zion and Bryce Canyon. That’s spurring worries about long lines and crowds as the parks’ busy season ramps up.

Workers who maintained trails, removed combustible debris from forests and secured funding for wildfire mitigation projects say the loss of these federal positions could impact public safety.