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In past shutdowns, federal workers typically received back pay after the government resumed operating, but an unknown number of contractors are unlikely to receive compensation.

One union that represents security guards and custodians, SEIU 32BJ, said it estimates some 600 of its members who work in the nation's capital as contractors will go without their first paychecks today -- paychecks that most of those employees can't afford to miss.

So far, the Trump administration has tried to blunt the impact on the general public by promising to maintain food assistance through February and bringing back IRS personnel to process tax refunds.

\"PHOTO:
Alex Wong/Getty Images
PHOTO: A "Closed" sign is seen during a news conference after a House Democratic Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 9, 2019, in Washington, D.C.
>

But the longer the shutdown lasts, the more federal agencies will be operating in unknown territory.

Rachford told ABC affiliate WCPO in Cincinnati that he voted for Trump in 2016 but said the shutdown and other recent events have made him regret that decision.

“We’re all scrounging,” he said of his fellow IRS workers. “Everybody’s talking about how they’re going to pay their next rent, how they’re going to pay their next mortgage bill.”

Meanwhile, McKinney said she is hoping Trump will hear her story and be willing to rethink his demands for the border wall if it means keeping the government shutdown any longer.

“He’s a father, you would think he would have some soft spot, somewhere deep down,” she said. “He lacks so much empathy, it seems. I know it won’t change anything, but, I want him to see how it’s hurting us.”

ABC News producer Stephanie Ebbs contributed to this report.

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