Page 50 - Ogden News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Same poll. in ogden, utah, scott mclean talked to people who see no easy way out as they're struggling with this shutdown, now the country's longest ever. >> reporter: the sign says it pays to live in ogden. just not these days. this panoramic former frontier town in utah is caught in the middle of a partisan battle being waged in washington. ogden has one of the highest concentrations of federal workers in the west. right now it's hurting. >> come here, love. >> reporter: whitney is one of more than 5,000 federal workers affected in ogden alone. most work for the irs or the forest service, an...

Business owners and shop workers. >> it's a ripple effect. >> correct. absolutely right. >> reporter: and those ripples are spreading. ogden's main federal building sits smack in the middle of its normally vibrant, historic downtown. it's now almost empty. at this bookstore, the owner says sales are down by half. and this restaurant has cut back its hours. other restaurants are just scraping by. >> there you are. >> reporter: this waitress has seen her lunchtime tips drop by two-thirds since the shutdown started 21 days ago. >> i have to penny pinch. i have to decide, you know, which bills are...

Be done. >> we want to work. we want to work. >> reporter: that view wasn't shared by furloughed workers protesting the shutdown in ogden. >> the government shutdown's got to go. >> reporter: many say they're getting desperate. >> i have enough for one more mortgage payment. i have to go to carmax tomorrow and sell my car. >> you're going to sell your car? >> i have to. >> reporter: there's hardly consensus on who to blame for the shutdown, but there is on one thing. >> we just want our jobs back, and we want them to make it right. >> reporter: lynn there says she wasn't able to sell her car, ...

Workers in the west. right now, it's hurting. whitney is one of 5,000 workers affected in ogden, alone. most work with the irs and most are furloughed. she is working without pay. no money, but bills to pay, a gas tank to fill and two kids to feed. >> i don't think we should be held captive, like our paycheck should be held captive just because of something that they need to brawl out. >> reporter: with no money on the way, she plans to ask the bank for a loan and the food bank for help. she's not alone. 50 workers a day are relying on their shelves. >> i've never done this before. >> reporter...

Like stsa employees in portland, oregon. >> missing one paycheck will be a burden on you? >> oh, absolutely. >> o., my husband is in there making home-made bread it's cheaper than buying a loaf at the store. >> reporter: federal employees in ogden, utah. >> i have enough for one more mortgage payment and i got to go to carmax tomorrow and sell my car. >> reporter: there are federal contractors, who owns a small business ploying about two dozen people. many of the company's contracts are with the federal government. currently, those invoices aren't being paid. >> i'm considering do i forfeit my...