Hundreds of people took to Twitter on Sunday and Monday to share how the government shutdown is affecting them.
Using the hashtag #ShutdownStories, posts from furloughed government workers, their family members and many others accumulated thousands of retweets and favorites in just hours.
The trend appeared to be started by Twitter user @TeaPainUSA, who tweeted to their 418,000 followers a plea to share a tweet using the hashtag.
{mosads}Many respondents said that they lived paycheck to paycheck, and with the government shutdown were worried about mortgage payments or medical expenses.
One woman using the #ShutdownStories hashtag wrote that her husband works as a park ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and that the couple has a 4-year-old and a 4-month-old. She expressed concern that they would not be able to cover holiday expenses or mortgage payments.
Another wrote that she “was too sick to work most of the month,” and was relying on a paycheck to cover a car payment.
“Thank you, Mr. President,” she wrote.
The partial shutdown began Friday after lawmakers failed to reach a deal on government spending over a disagreement on funding for President Trump’s border wall.
On Monday, the leader of one of the largest unions representing government employees said the shutdown was creating financial stress for federal employees.
Other #ShutdownStories posts came from college students who said they were unable to file financial aid forms because of office closures.
Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Sunday that he expects the shutdown to last into the new year, when Democrats take over the House.