Shutdown-related unemployment cases surge in New Mexico

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — More than 1,300 furloughed federal workers in New Mexico have applied for unemployment benefits that would act as a short-term loan.
State Workforce Solutions Department Secretary Bill McCamley on Tuesday said the benefit applicants are among an estimated 7,500 federal workers directly affected in New Mexico by the partial government shutdown. A large portion of those workers are employed by the U.S. Interior, Agriculture and Homeland Security departments.
McCamley says his agency has waived job-search requirements temporarily for federal workers who apply for unemployment benefits. The benefits take about a week to authorize and must be paid back when federal paychecks resume.
Furloughed and unpaid federal workers are confronting deepening anxieties about mortgage payments and utility bills as the shutdown enters its 26th day.