In Washington on Oct 8, President Donald Trump warned that some federal workers who were furloughed during the current government shutdown might not get back pay when the government finally reopens. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said the decision would depend on the employee’s role and that “the Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy,” but he added, “for the most part, we’re going to take care of our people … there are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we will take care of them in a different way.” The White House did not specify which furloughed workers would miss out on back pay, and Xinhua reported no further details.
Earlier, Axios cited a draft White House memo indicating that furloughed federal employees are not guaranteed compensation for the time they were forced to stay off the job during the shutdown. Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the funding stalemate, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans for shutting down the government instead of fixing health care. Schumer said the shutdown “adds pressure on already overworked air traffic controllers,” a point echoed by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The federal employees at risk amount to roughly 750,000, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis. Previously, when Congress passed a law in 2019 after a 35‑day shutdown, it guaranteed back pay for workers who had been furloughed. That law, however, only applies to future shutdowns; it does not automatically cover all workers in the current crisis. Essential personnel—such as air traffic controllers and law‑enforcement officers—will keep working without pay until funding is restored.
As the U.S. government threatens to reopen, the debate over back pay for furloughed federal workers continues to split Democrats and Republicans, with each side holding the other party accountable for the prolonged shutdown.
Source: ianslive
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