As the government shutdown continues in its now second week, federal workers in Chicago have major concerns, especially after the Trump administration said some furloughed workers may not be getting their legally mandated back pay after the shutdown ends.

At a rally on Wednesday, one of those workers said she is anticipating being furloughed at any time, while the other two are currently on furlough, with Lorie McCann learning that she would be paid for five more days and receive her pay through last Friday, but then nothing more until further notice.

McCann has been a federal worker with the IRS for more than 30 years. She is speaking out not as an IRS employee but as the president of the National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 10. 

The mother and grandmother said right now, her life is in limbo, not knowing if she will receive pay once the government shutdown ends.

"At this point in time, if I go to the grocery store, I can't say, I'm gonna get paid afterwards, you can't do that. can't give 'em an IOU," she said.

She said she doesn't know when she'll be returning to work.

"So you have to start figuring out, ok, I get one more paycheck. You pay your bills. uh, credit card bills, do you pay them in full? Or do you just make a minimum payment because you don't know what you're going to do for the following month?"

Brent Barron, a workers' comp claims examiner with the Department of Labor, spoke as the president of the National Council of Field Labor Locals. He was put on furlough last Wednesday.

"I got an email from the national office that I was being placed on furlough. This is the first time in my 35-year career that I've been put on furlough," he said. "I just want to go in and do my job, and I don't understand why anybody is on furlough right now."

Colin Smalley is a geologist working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, working on projects ranging from the inspection of floor reservoirs to tugboats.

"We're protecting from floods, from dangerous storms that come in off Lake Michigan. So we're here to make sure that people's homes, that they're livelihoods are protected, and that's what I want to keep doing," Smalley said.

While he works for the Army Corps of Engineers, Smalley spoke in his position as the president of IFPT Local 777. He said he's anticipating being put on furlough in a few weeks, and that's impacting family decisions.

"We have to be careful. Are we going to travel for Christmas? Are we going to be able to make those kinds of commitments? It's a scary time." 

All three of the federal employees told CBS News Chicago they've taken an oath and dedicated their lives to serving the public. They hope an end to the government shutdown happens very soon.