# Are White House domestic staff considered essential workers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2019, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-white-house-domestic-staff-considered-essential-workers/828246 "2019-01-23T03:00:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-white-house-domestic-staff-considered-essential-workers/828246/1 "2019-01-23T03:00:29Z")
So a college sports team visits the White House and the President orders fast food because the usual kitchen staff isn’t able to do the catering because of the shutdown. Still somebody set up the room for the event, put everything on silver platters, and cleaned up afterwards. I highly doubt the First Family is preparing their own meals and doing their own laundry so who is? Have they hired their own domestic workers, or is the normal domestic staff still showing up for work? The Secret Service is working without pay, but they’re responsible for actual security, not making a family’s life more comfortable. Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-white-house-domestic-staff-considered-essential-workers/828246/2 "2019-01-23T03:07:22Z")
> [@](#): > > The partial government shutdown is hitting home for President Donald Trump in a very personal way. He lives in government-run housing, after all. Just 21 of the roughly 80 people who help care for the White House — from butlers to electricians to chefs — are reporting to work. The rest have been furloughed. > > Even so, the shutdown doesn’t mean Trump is making his own bed or emptying the trash on the second floor of the White House, where he and the first lady live with their 12-year-old son, Barron. The pared-down White House residence staff typically still includes a butler and a chef. Basic housekeeping continues. But forget fresh flower arrangements from the White House florist — that’s hardly considered an essential service. [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-18/shutdown-hits-home-for-trump-he-lives-in-government-housing](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-18/shutdown-hits-home-for-trump-he-lives-in-government-housing) ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-white-house-domestic-staff-considered-essential-workers/828246/3 "2019-01-23T03:10:46Z")
Amusing to think a butler and a chef are considered essential. Maybe if Ivanka had to start scrubbing the bathroom and preparing meals, Trump would really experience the hardship of the shutdown… ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-white-house-domestic-staff-considered-essential-workers/828246/4 "2019-01-23T04:49:26Z")
Trump won’t be experiencing any hardship until you hand HIM the toilet scrubber