Furloughed federal employees may not receive back pay when the government shutdown ends.
The Trump administration has argued that federal employees are not automatically entitled to back pay, maintaining that Congress must approve any such payments in legislation ending the shutdown.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday addressed the possibility of some federal workers not getting paid when the shutdown ends.
"As we’ve said before, the livelihoods of the patriotic Americans serving their country in the federal government are not bargaining chips in a political game," Everett Kelley said. "It’s long past time for these attacks on federal employees to stop and for Congress to come together, resolve their differences, and end this shutdown."
The president of the American Federation of Government Employees condemned the possibility that some workers could be denied back pay.
"As we’ve said before, the livelihoods of the patriotic Americans serving their country in the federal government are not bargaining chips in a political game," Everett Kelley said. "It’s long past time for these attacks on federal employees to stop and for Congress to come together, resolve their differences, and end this shutdown."
The government shutdown has stretched into its second week with no end in sight. Numerous votes on competing bills to reopen the government have failed.
Democrats are conditioning their support for short-term funding on extending health subsidies that lower the cost of Affordable Care Act plans. Republicans have said negotiations over health care subsidies should take place only after the government is reopened.
