Amna Nawaz:

Judy, for two weeks now, some 800,000 federal workers have gone without paychecks. They will get back pay, but, for many, it's been a tense time, with mounting bills and pressures.

More than one million contractors have been feeling that pressure, too. An estimate by Bloomberg found contractors may have collectively lost $200 million a day in lost or delayed revenue, with no guarantees about back pay yet.

Let's hear now from a couple of people who are caught up in all of this.

Brad Hufford is a grant director employed by FEMA who works in the Denver area. And LaJuanna Russell is president of Business Management Associates, a human resources firm that contracts with federal government agencies.

Welcome to you both. Thanks for being here.