Diplomats Slog Away Without Pay as Pompeo Visits Middle East
- State Department workers worldwide affected by the shutdown
- Embassy staff who will shepherd secretary of state are on duty
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Dozens of U.S. diplomats and embassy staff who will shepherd Secretary of State Michael Pompeo through a tour of the Middle East over the next week will be laboring without pay as the partial government shutdown drags on.
While visa and passport services overseas are funded by fees and remain open, many embassy staff members around the world are on furlough -- not working and not paid -- along with hundreds of thousands of government workers affected by the shutdown in the U.S. In some cases, unpaid workers are taking turns coming to the office one or two days a week to keep operations going.