Mark, a government employee for over 20 years, has experienced several government shutdowns in the past; Congress repeatedly failed to agree on the budget, forcing many federal employees to take unpaid temporary leave.

But the current shutdown will be the last for Mark, who declined to reveal his full name, after deciding to resign from his government job.

The experienced fifty-year-old employee noted that this shutdown is different, criticizing the Trump administration’s efforts, which he described as “demeaning federal employees and undervaluing their qualifications to show they don’t deserve federal service, something unlike any previous experience I’ve had as a federal employee.”

The latest shutdown follows Elon Musk, who was an ally of Trump earlier this year, targeting the federal workforce; he fired thousands of employees under White House authorization.

Trump often speaks dismissively about the bloated and inefficient government bureaucracy, according to him.

Mark, who was responsible for museum funding, is currently seeking a new job, saying, “I believe there are greater opportunities outside the federal government now to serve our country.”

The shutdown began on October 1 when Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on a temporary spending plan to maintain government funding.

As for government employees considered essential and cannot be granted leave, such as air traffic controllers, they continue working without pay, but hundreds of thousands of others are forced to take unpaid leave.

Mark, who attended a career development seminar for those suddenly having a lot of free time, said, “It’s a terrible feeling.”

Another government employee working at the “Census Bureau,” named Johan Hernandez, who was placed on unpaid leave, said he adopts an approach of facing “one day at a time.”

Nicole Garcia, who stopped working at the State Department, said she feels frustrated about the shutdown, although it means she now has enough time to take her son to school.

Another employee on unpaid leave, working at the Small Business Administration, succeeded in convincing his bank to freeze his mortgage payments.

The employee, who wished to remain anonymous like many others interviewed by AFP, confirmed that working in a government job has become difficult since Trump returned to the White House in January.

Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, who is said to be behind the move to reduce the number of federal employees, boasted that he caused “psychological shocks” among government workers.

Musk fired large numbers of employees when he led what was called the “Government Efficiency Administration” earlier this year.

Other employees were encouraged to leave or worked in agencies that were completely closed, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development.

With the current shutdown, the U.S. federal workforce faces a new chapter of layoffs, which the White House said has already begun.

Emily Abraham, a diplomat who worked in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and the Dominican Republic, was laid off during the summer; however, she was supposed to receive her salary until November.

Due to the shutdown, she will not receive pay while awaiting job loss in what she described as a “double leave,” commenting: “In addition to not working, I now also do not get paid.”

She added, “I have three daughters and a loan to pay. I have a car; all these things I need to take care of. I’m at a stage where I’m ready to do any job.”

Emily drew attention to the fact that the job market in Washington is under pressure due to the large number of government employees who were laid off, adding: “I know a number of senior former diplomats who drive Uber or Lyft while looking for a job.”