ICYMI: Congress passed this week a stopgap measure to avoid a government shutdown ahead of Election Day, but Virginia’s federal workers still had to deal with the uncertainty and stress of waiting to see whether they would have to work without pay. The threat of government shutdowns has become a fact of life for Virginia’s 140,000 federal workers as Republicans have increasingly used budget negotiations as opportunities to ram through right-wing policy priorities. This week, 82 House Republicans, including Rep. Bob Good of Virginia’s 5th District and Morgan Griffith of Virginia’s 9th District, voted against the bipartisan funding measure. On the Senate side, 18 Republicans voted against it. Former President Donald Trump had called on Republicans to risk a government shutdown if Congress didn’t pass controversial legislation that would require proof of citizenship for voting. Because Congress only funded the government through Dec. 20, more stressful times could be ahead right in t...