WASHINGTON Employees at the FBI , an institution still reeling from the attacks it has endured since the 2016 election, are dealing with another blow to morale as the government shutdown enters its second month.

FBI special agents and employees, who will soon miss their second paychecks since the government shutdown began on Dec. 22, are scrambling to make ends meet. New FBI recruits just starting their careers through their training at Quantico, Virginia, have never received a paycheck. The FBI SWAT team cant purchase critical gear. Some FBI employees are unable to put food on the table and are relying on food banks that FBI field offices have set up across the country.

A new report from the FBI Agents Association, an outside organization that advocates for bureau employees, lays out the effects of the partial government shutdown on the Federal Bureau of Investigation . Thomas OConnor, the president of the group, held a press conference on Tuesday to call attention to the shutdowns impact on FBI employees and the need to fund the bureau.

We are a motivated, professional, and patriotic lot, as you know, but we do have to make our bills like every other American red, blue, green, or otherwise, one 22-year FBI veteran said in the report. Notwithstanding the obvious ... financial duress, there is also a very real impact on morale for us all.

The demoralization of employees is impacting operations because employees now have a significant point of stress distracting them as they perform their normal duties, said another FBI employee.