Colorado Congressman Gabe Evans urges banks to show compassion for federal workers during shutdown

As the government shutdown stretches on in D.C., several credit unions in Colorado are stepping up to help federal workers, some of whom haven't been paid in a month.

Rep. Gabe Evans, a Republican who represents Colorado's 8th Congressional District, sent a letter to banks across the state urging them to give those workers a break.

Several credit unions are taking the lead.

Evans held a roundtable with representatives from Canvas Credit Union, Northern Colorado Credit Union, Ent Credit Union, and Colorado Credit Union to raise awareness of what they're doing to help, including offering no-interest loans, deferred payments on existing loans, and a waiver of fees.

Chris Myklebust, Chief Transformation Officer at Canvas Credit Union, says they're offering loans for federal workers, military service members, and government contractors. 

"It's $7,500 and it's for 12 months interest-free. We've waived all fees for doing that so we can get people through a difficult time." 

David Sprenger, Senior Vice President at Ent Credit Union, says they've deferred payments on various loans for more than a thousand federal workers so far.

While some of those workers may not have high credit scores, Scott Sager, Chief Financial Officer at Colorado Credit Union, says they are still eligible for help.

Evans says many federal workers and service members live paycheck to paycheck. He says he's just asking banks to show them some compassion, "We just want to make sure we're getting the message out there that there are options and resources because we truly are in this together. My staff, my team, and I are going to be walking every step of the way. I'm not taking a paycheck. My staff aren't getting paid until we get the government opened back up again."  

An Army veteran, Evans says, he was in a combat zone during a previous shutdown and knows how stressful they are on families.

Meagan Barrett, President and CEO of Northern Colorado Credit Union, says her employees are also putting together care packages for military service members overseas