As the longest government shutdown in US history enters a fourth week with no resolution in sight, Jared Hautamaki considers himself relatively fortunate. The Home Depot where he already worked several shifts a week agreed to employ him full-time while he and hundreds of thousands of federal employees are locked out of their day-jobs.

At $14 an hour, his retail paycheck will hardly match what he earns as an attorney adviser with the Environmental Protection Agency. But with four children under eight years old, Hautamaki says it’s a necessary accommodation.

But still he worries the temporary income won’t be enough to cover the costs of daycare, a mortgage and the rest of his family’s monthly expenses if the shutdown lasts several more weeks as Donald Trump has threatened....

The Washington metropolitan area is home to the largest share of federal workers in the country – and on Friday many of them missed a paycheck for the first time since parts of the federal government ceased functioning on 22 December. Frustrated employees photos on Twitter of their pay stub showing a net pay of $0....