Hundreds of thousands of service members and civilian workers, including military families in Jacksonville, might not see their next paycheck unless Congress passes emergency legislation to ensure America’s military continues to get paid.

Lawmakers have until the end of the day Saturday to pass a spending deal to avert the shutdown.

If the federal government shutdown lasts as long as the last one did – which was 35 days – that could mean missed mortgage and rent payments, and families struggling to afford groceries.

Read the rest of this story at News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.