Another thing to remember- only a few hundred thousand of those workers are actually government employees, who do get paid, eventually. But hundreds of thousands more are contract employees, or work for subs. Who dont get anything if they dont work. If you were, say, a cafeteria employee, security, guard, janitor, landscaper, or just a temp, you just plain dont get paid. Most janitors (and the subs are usually non-union, unlike the federal employees) dont have any savings. They are just screwed.
Then, there are the other fallout issues- no food inspections- so- does the fast food restaurant just serve the ground beef, or the romaine lettuce, even though they know there are no inspections?
What happens when the food stamps dont get paid, and people dont eat?
What about the income tax return checks? Trump claims he is going to make them get sent, but the IRS doesnt know how- 4000 IRS employees in Ogden Utah alone are not working.
Obviously, no audits taking place.
The guys who repair and safety check air traffic control equipment arent working.
What happens when the radar breaks?
When the plane crashes?
Of course, TSA is suffering from mass sick-ins- if it goes on, the lines at airports, which are already getting longer, could get insane.
There are dozens of unintended consequences all down the line- a lot of stuff that will show up as we go on.
My guess is Trump will declare an emergency, and then, when the Supreme Court tosses it out, shrug and say he was right, but what could he do?
Meanwhile, once he gets his emergency, and a few token Army Corps excavators get filmed on tv, he will agree to restart the government.
He just doesnt want to lose face, by looking like he blinked.