A government shutdown and the biggest raise in a decade

It started as one of the worst years for federal employees in recent memory, as President Trump’s demands for billions of dollars for a border wall led to a historic partial shutdown of the government that stretched for 35 jittery days.

It ended on a high note, as the president signed off on 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents, a generous raise, a midweek vacation day before Christmas against the recommendation of his own staff, and as he issued an exuberant letter of thanks to “Our Incredible Federal Workforce.”

In between, the 2.1 million civil servants who serve in the government were whipsawed by a president who attacked the bureaucracy, railed against career officials who testified in the impeachment inquiry, rebuked weather forecasters over their hurricane predictions and disparaged FBI officials for their handling of the Russia investigation.