Trump threatens not to provide back pay for shutdown period, Democrats slam "intimidation of workers"

Trump threatens not to provide back pay for shutdown period, Democrats slam "intimidation of workers"

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U.S. President Trump has threatened that after the government reopens, he may prevent some U.S. government employees from receiving back pay.

On Tuesday Trump stated at the White House that issuing back pay “largely depends on who you’re talking about,” adding, “Some people really aren’t worth taking care of, we will treat them differently.” This statement indicates a further hardening of the government shutdown strategy.

Meanwhile, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has drafted a memorandum arguing there is no legal guarantee that employees will be compensated after the shutdown ends.

Democratic lawmakers quickly rebutted this stance. Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair, Washington Senator Patty Murray, stated the legal text “could not be clearer,” and that government employees are entitled to back pay.

Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said if the Trump administration attempts to cancel back pay for furloughed employees, it would be “illegal.”

The White House threat quickly triggered heated debate over its legality.

The memorandum, written by White House OMB chief counsel Mark Paoletta, argues that the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act passed in 2019 has flaws. The act is intended to ensure that federal employees automatically receive back pay after a government shutdown ends.

The core argument of the memo is that only if a funding bill explicitly allocates funds for this purpose after the shutdown ends can furloughed employees receive compensation. Democratic Senator Patty Murray said:

This is yet another baseless attempt by the White House to intimidate U.S. government workers.

According to media reports, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was “not aware” of the matter, but admitted all parties were debating the legality of issuing back pay to furloughed employees.

Johnson said he hoped furloughed staff could get paid but blamed the uncertainty on Democrats refusing to support the Republican temporary funding bill.

Mass Layoff Threat Approaching

While taking a tough stance, Trump’s negotiation strategy also appeared inconsistent.

On Monday, Wallstreet News reported that after a days-long stalemate, Trump said he was willing to negotiate with Democrats over healthcare subsidies to end the funding standoff.

However, soon after, he posted on social media:

I’m happy to work with Democrats on their failed health care policy or anything else, but they must first allow our government to reopen.

Most strikingly, Trump repeatedly stated he would use the shutdown to fire thousands of federal employees. On Tuesday, he issued another warning that “large-scale” layoffs could happen within days.

When asked about layoffs, Trump responded:

I’ll be able to tell you in four or five days. If this situation continues, the scale of layoffs will be enormous, and many of those jobs will never come back.

This remark elevated the risk faced by government employees from temporary unpaid leave to permanent unemployment.

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