assistant at the admin pool for the region department of transportation in kansas city. >> you're a contract worker. you are not a federal employee who is on furlough. you will not get back pay for the hours you're not able to work. but you are not getting paid for a lot of hours you have already worked, but you are not able to submit your time sheet for. >> yes, that's correct. the pay period of the 16th through the 31st, i had 63 hours that we did work before the shutdown, and i have not been able to submit my time sheet that i know of because there is no one to approve it in the office where i work. >> so essentially this was like losing a job, losing your pay even before the christmas holidays and having to figure out a way to make it through. so what have you been doing? how have you had to adjust your family budget to make ends meet and pay your bills?