After an intense lobbying effort my the mortgage industry 400 furloughed IRS clerks will be allowed to work – and get paid – during the current partial federal government shutdown. These clerks help potential home buyers verify their incomes. Without their work, the $1.3 trillion mortgage industry would be at a standstill.

Many questioned the government’s decision to allow the clerks to work, arguing that while their jobs are important, they are not essential as outlined by the law. It was seen as a favor to a powerful industry.

Government officials responded by saying it was done as a service to consumers trying to buy a home and not as a favor to the mortgage industry.