October 9, 2025
The program offers a one-time, no-interest loan in the amount of $700 to help workers keep up with their expenses, however, the loan is required to be repaid after the shutdown ends.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is making the federal employees affected by the 2025 government shutdown a top priority by establishing a Federal Shutdown Loan Program through the Department of Labor, Fox 45 News reported.
As Moore refers to the shutdown — now in its eighth day — as “a time when the federal government is stepping back from its most basic obligations,” the governor said “Maryland is stepping up to protect our people” with a program that will provide financial resources to state residents defined as “excepted” federal employees. Federal employees under that statute are required to keep working during the shutdown without getting a pay check.
Moore says the program will help keep public servants above water. “The emergency support we announce today will keep public servants afloat as we enter a second week of this shutdown. But no state can continue to fill the massive gap created by Washington,” the governor said.
“The president must come to the negotiating table in good faith and close a deal to open the government.”
The program offers a one-time, no-interest loan in the amount of $700 to help workers keep up with their expenses; however, the loan is required to be repaid after the shutdown ends. One additional ramification is that loans will only be issued if the shutdown continues past Oct. 15. Parts of the government have been shut down since Oct. 1 after Senate Democrats and Republicans, in collaboration with President Donald Trump, failed to come to an agreement on two key pieces of legislation.
A bill including government funding through October 2025 and an extension of healthcare subsidies on the federal level, scheduled to expire at the end of the year, was blocked in a vote by GOP members. Democratic leaders refused to sign a different bill supported by Republicans, approving a measure that would keep the government funded at current levels through Nov. 21.
Moore’s announcement comes at a time when President Donald Trump has whispered thoughts of not giving furloughed federal workers the back pay accrued during the government shutdown when they return to work. Federal law, which Trump signed after the 2019 shutdown, says furloughed employees “shall be paid for the period of the lapse in appropriations.” When asked by a reporter about back pay, Trump said, “I would say it depends on who we’re talking about.”
According to CBS News, eligible employees must be Maryland residents and “excepted” federal workers. Applicants will be required to provide proof of ID, Maryland residency, federal employment status, and “excepted” status. Following application submission, the Comptroller’s Office will process requests, and the Treasurer’s Office will start the process of mailing the first batch of loan payments Oct. 16.
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