As a partial government shutdown continues, two TSA officers at San Jose Mineta International Airport say the strain of working without pay is taking a serious toll.

The TSA officers, who asked to remain anonymous, told NBC Bay Area on Monday that they’re not only worried about paying bills and mortgages during this shutdown but are still recovering from the October shutdown, which included six weeks of working without pay.

“I’ve been working for 31 days without a check,” one of the officers said. “That gets to be a toll on your mind. It plays with you physically, emotionally and mentally.”

After missing two paychecks, many of their co-workers are scrambling to make ends meet in the pricey Bay Area.

“I’ve had officers donating blood and their plasma, and maybe some of them are sleeping in their cars,” one of the officers said. “It’s just disheartening.”

The officers said while they continue to show up for work, some of their co-workers have started calling out sick.

“There’s less officers showing up,” one of the officers said. “I don’t blame them. They have to make a decision to support their family.”

This is all started with an ongoing fight between congressional Republicans and Democrats over funding for the larger Department of Homeland Security and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, but the battle means all Homeland Security divisions are impacted, including TSA.

One of the TSA officers said the uncertainty of not knowing when his next check will arrive means rising stress and questions every day.

“Am I going to be paying be able to pay my mortgage, my health insurance, my electricity, my water?” he said.

NBC Bay Area reached out to Homeland Security but did not immediately receive a response.

In a social media post, the agency blamed Democrats for forcing TSA agents to work without pay, adding “the financial hardship this Democrat-led chaos created has already forced more than 300 of these heroic officers to leave the force. Democrats must fund DHS now.”

The TSA officers in San Jose said Congress needs to figure something out now.

“How about Congress going without a paycheck?” one said.

Both officers encouraged the public to reach out to their congressional representatives and urge them to reach a deal to end the shutdown. If the shutdown continues, they fear security lines will get even longer as more TSA officers quit and spring break crowds boom.