At 8 a.m. Tuesday, the National Zoo’s Connecticut Avenue gates clanged open for the first time in nearly a month.

“I’m going to kiss my boss, I’m so happy to be back.”

Each day of the closure meant a loss of about 45,000 visitors.

Economists in the D.C. region say the furlough could leave a lasting imprint.

When will I get paid? Could I be in this situation again in three weeks? Although the current shutdown is over, federal employees have a lot of questions about what happens next.

Andrés said that he wants to “make sure that every federal worker receives their paycheck and they can start their lives again with normalcy.”

The photo essay offers a different perspective on D.C.’s furloughed workers.

Missed paychecks. Bills. Gas. Groceries. These are the things keeping one area couple up at night during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

“Like many people, I’m frustrated by what’s happening and my heart goes out to these incredibly hard-working people who provide important service to our country, yet have had their lives, disrupted by circumstances, not of their doing,” Rodgers said in a statement.

&pizza is now partnering with José Andrés and his #ChefsForFeds movement.