Workers for the US federal government say this shutdown feels different from previous ones Brendan Smialowski

A civil servant for 20-plus years, Mark has been through US government shutdowns before: Congress deadlocks on spending and many federal workers are temporarily forced into unpaid leave.

But the current shutdown will be Mark's last -- he's decided to leave his government job.

Mark, who de

The latest shutdown comes after Elon Musk, then an ally of President Donald Trump, earlier this year took an ax to the federal workforce, firing tens of thousands of staffers with a mandate from the White House.

Trump often speaks disparagingly of a bloated, inefficient government bureaucracy.

Mark, an experienced worker in his 50s who dealt with funding for museums, is now looking for a n

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