Working for Free vs. The $8 Trillion Boom: The Shutdown Crisis & Billionaire Wealth

While federal workers are asked to keep the country running without a paycheck, the ultra-wealthy are seeing record-breaking gains. This episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast explores the stark divide between those keeping the lights on and those owning the assets. First up: The partial government shutdown is back, and Matt Biggs, President of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), joins us to expose the human cost of political dysfunction. Representing over 80,000 professionals—from rocket scientists at NASA to immigration judges—Biggs details the strain on "essential" employees who are reporting for duty while their pay is suspended. The "Essential" Trap: How the shutdown is disrupting critical work at the Department of Defense and stalling justice in immigration courts. Recruitment Crisis: Why chronic budget instability is driving skilled experts out of public service. Mobilizing for 2026: A look at IFPTE’s upcoming Legislative Advocacy Conference in D.C., where members will fight for stable funding and due process. Then: As working families feel the squeeze of inflation and stalled wages, the billionaire class has hit a new stratosphere. Omar Ocampo, researcher at the Institute for Policy Studies, breaks down new data showing U.S. billionaire wealth has surged to $8.1 trillion. The Asset Gap: How stock market speculation is enriching the "centibillionaires" while the labor share of income shrinks. Wealth vs. Work: Why productivity gains aren't showing up in your paycheck. Taxing the Top: The state-level tax experiments that could finally fund public goods and reduce extreme inequality. Listen now for a hard look at an economy where essential workers wait for back pay while billionaire wealth climbs by the trillions.