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A Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce survey of its membership during the second half of the shutdown revealed that some firms had already laid off workers, said Barbara Ashe, who runs the Chamber’s government contracting programs. And with over a month of lost revenue, every contractor will struggle for the rest of the year, Ashe said, especially smaller companies that tend to operate on thinner margins. “The shutdown has completely wiped out all of their profits,” Ashe said. “Just to get out of the hole, you’re going to basically work the whole year to get back to zero.” Ashe said the Chamber has been urging Congress to pass a bill securing back pay for federal contractors. But even identifying how many employees lost wages would be difficult. Read the full Washington Post article here.