The previous shutdown ended with legislation, known as the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, that required furloughed workers in future shutdowns be paid once the government is opened.
But that didn’t stop the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from issuing a draft memo this week raising the possibility that furloughed federal workers may not be entitled to checks missed during a shutdown.
Trump and his lieutenants have cast the blame on Democrats, but have also suggested that some federal workers shouldn’t be compensated.
“I can tell you this: The Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with the Canadian prime minister when asked if the administration’s position was that furloughed workers should receive back pay.
“For the most part, we’re going to take care of our people,” Trump added. “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.”
The Hill’s Brett Samuels has more here.
