Government shutdown 2019: Coast Guard takes down tip sheet suggesting furloughed employees hold garage sales to earn money

Friday, January 11, 2019
The government shutdown is now tied for the longest ever, and hundreds of thousands of government employees don't know when their next paycheck will come.

In the midst of this hardship, some departments are offering advice on how to cope. One since-removed tip sheet, posted on a website meant to support employees of the U.S. Coast Guard, struck a sour note with its suggestions of ways of "finding supplemental income."

The suggested methods included "have a garage sale," "offer to watch children, walk pets or house-sit" and "become a mystery shopper."

WATCH: Families affected by the shutdown talk about life without a paycheck
WATCH: Families affected by the shutdown talk about life without a paycheck


After the document was criticized as tone-deaf, the Coast Guard took it down. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard told the Washington Post that the suggestions do not "reflect the Coast Guard's current efforts to support our workforce during this lapse in appropriations," and "As such, this guidance has been removed."

The Coast Guard has not issued any statements on social media, but those accounts have a notice that they are not being managed during the shutdown.



ABC News contributed to this report.

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