Nationwide — President Trump says that some furloughed federal workers affected by the ongoing government shutdown might not receive back pay, even though a 2019 law he signed guarantees it. His remarks followed reports of a White House memo questioning whether those payments are automatic.
According to CNBC, the memo, first reported by Axios and later confirmed by the White House, said unpaid workers are not automatically entitled to retroactive pay. This view contradicts earlier guidance from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which stated that all furloughed employees would be paid once funding resumes.
That guidance was based on the 2019 law signed by Trump, which states that government workers “shall be paid for the period of the lapse in appropriations.” But a White House official said that Congress must still approve those funds before workers receive their pay.
When asked about the issue, Trump said, “I would say it depends on who we’re talking about.” He added, “For the most part, we’re going to take care of our people,” but also said, “There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”
He blamed Democrats for the ongoing shutdown, now in its seventh day, saying they had “put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy.” Analysts believe the administration’s stance on back pay is meant to pressure Senate Democrats into supporting a short-term Republican funding bill that would reopen the government until late November.
The White House has warned that a longer shutdown could cause permanent job losses for thousands of federal workers. Trump said he would know “in four or five days” how many positions could be cut, adding that the move could help bring the budget “closer to balanced.”
The White House has warned that a longer shutdown could cause permanent job losses for thousands of federal workers. Trump said he would know “in four or five days” how many positions could be cut, adding that the move could help bring the budget “closer to balanced.”
The American Federation of Government Employees criticized the administration’s interpretation of the law, calling it wrong and inconsistent with previous guidance. AFGE President Everett Kelley said, “The livelihoods of the patriotic Americans serving their country in the federal government are not bargaining chips in a political game.”