Federal worker worries about making November rent if shutdown drags on

Here & Now Anytime

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4.1 • 953 Ratings

🗓️ 15 October 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

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Summary

Furloughed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worker Peter Farruggia talks about how he will pay his bills if the government shutdown continues much longer. His last paycheck was last Friday.

Then, the Supreme Court is hearing a case that could further erode the Voting Rights Act. George Washington University professor Spencer Overton tells us more.

And, R&B singer D'Angelo died on Tuesday. He had pancreatic cancer and was just 51. Writer, producer and filmmaker Nelson George talks about D'Angelo's music and legacy.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
0:05.4	RWJF is a national philanthropy working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right.
0:12.1	Learn more at RWJF.org.
0:16.8	WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
0:27.5	You know, I was able to pay rent this month, but other than that, I don't really know how the rest of my bills are going to get paid.
0:37.2	Federal workers furloughed by the shutdown say they're being used as political pawns and they're paying for it.
0:52.4	It's Wednesday, October 15th, and this is here and now anytime from NPR and WBUR, Boston.
0:53.6	I'm Chris Bentley.
1:01.2	Today on the show, voting rights are once again before the Supreme Court.
1:07.9	Today's case gives the conservative justices a chance to further hollow out the Voting Rights Act and potentially help Republicans gain more seats in Congress.
1:13.9	Also, we remember the all too short life and career of R&B legend DeAngelo.
1:36.4	He wasn't trying to fit into a mold. He was trying to create a mold.
1:42.2	How DiAngelo found the funk coming up in about 15 minutes. How does it fail? How DiAngelo found the funk coming up in about 15 minutes.
1:50.4	But first, a federal judge in San Francisco is hearing preliminary arguments today from federal workers furloughed during the
2:02.0	government shutdown. Two unions, the American Federation of Government Employees, AFGE, and the
2:09.4	American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Ask Me, which together represent more
2:14.5	than 800,000 federal workers, say the Trump administration is using
2:19.0	them as political pawns. The White House argues the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case.
2:26.2	The shutdown is entering its third week today and could go on for some time.
2:32.0	Here's Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson this morning.
2:34.7	We won't sell out the long-term security and future of the United States so that Chuck Schumer
2:38.7	can prevent a primary challenge from his left wing. We will not be a part of that nonsense.
	...

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