I work in the same office as that furloughed NASA engineer. We work on the same project. The difference? He's a federal employee, and I work for a private contractor. When the shutdown ends, he will get a check for all his missed pay. Me? I get nothing. My contract is "paused by the day." Day 37 means 37 days of lost income that I will never get back. We are the government's shadow workforce. We get none of the job security, none of the pension, and none of the shutdown protection. Why am I expected to take 100% of the risk for a government that doesn't even acknowledge I exist? #GovernmentContractor #NoBackPay #ShadowWorkforce