Bracing for the loss of a steady paycheck is becoming something of a routine for Frank Silberstein.
A statistician for the U.S. Census Bureau and a union steward for the American Federation of Government Employees, Silberstein said the pitched battle in Washington over whether to raise the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling has — for the second time this year — put federal workers in Maryland on edge about whether they'll still have a job in a few weeks.
"It feels like they're coming at us with an ax," said Silberstein, of Hyattsville. He notes that federal workers were caught in the political crossfire over deficit reduction just four months ago as Congress struggled to pass a budget to avoid a government shutdown.
"People are just hoping for the best," he said.
As Washington attempts to negotiate a deal to raise the debt ceiling by Aug. 2 or risk defaulting on the nation's financial obligations, hundreds of thousands of Maryland-based federal employees, contractors and Social Security beneficiaries are watching the political brinksmanship warily.
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