Ohio woman in hunger strike amid slimdown

Donna Smith said she hopes to show solidarity with fellow workers at her IRS office. (FOX19.com)

An Ohio woman who works at the Cincinnati offices of the IRS says she had been on a hunger strike for four days and does not intend to eat until the federal government reopens.

Donna Smith, from Morrow, Ohio, told Fox19.com that she only had water, tea and a nutritional shake for four days.She and  her colleagues have not been working as a result of the political gridlock.

"I do worry about myself financially and things like that, but I do have a supportive spouse.  We're very blessed, and there's a lot of people out there who don't have that safety net," Smith added.

Smith described her coworkers as hardworking and said she is going through the hunger strike as a form of solidarity with them. She said some coworkers told her they rely on their paychecks to feed their kids and she figured “what better way” to show support than a hunger strike.