The Trump administration has advised federal workers sidelined by the partial government shutdown to offer to do chores for their landlords if they can't afford rent.

The advice was included in a sample letter shared on social media Thursday by the Office of Personnel Management to help federal employees manage outstanding obligations they had with any creditors.

"I will keep in touch with you to keep you informed about my income status and I would like to discuss with you the possibility of trading my services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments," the letter read.





By Friday, however, the link posted in the original tweet by the agency no longer incorporated a reference to the chores.



Feds, here are sample letters you may use as a guide when working with your creditors during this furlough. If you need legal advice please consult with your personal attorney. https://t.co/t6h6OzALsS — OPM (@USOPM) December 27, 2018



The recommendation was also mocked for implying many federal workers had ready access to personal attorneys.



OPM believes that federal workers have personal attorneys? https://t.co/0KG96UAUSn — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 28, 2018

Ah, yes, "your personal attorney" a totally normal thing that normal people have. https://t.co/LLA4mgo6Xk — Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) December 28, 2018



About 800,000 federal employees have either been furloughed or requested to work without pay amid the shutdown after negotiations regarding government spending fell through over President Trump's proposed southern border wall. The government is likely to remain closed until next week as both the House and Senate have been adjourned for the weekend.