Trump Admin Questions Back Pay for Furloughed Workers Is This a New Norm?

[Amyouyang]

The U.S. federal government has been in a partial shutdown since October 1, and now the Trump administration is questioning whether furloughed federal workers should automatically receive back pay once it ends. A new memo from the Office of Management and Budget argues that the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act authorizes back pay but doesn’t actually allocate funds, meaning Congress would have to explicitly approve the money. This is a major shift from how shutdowns have been handled for decades — where workers were always guaranteed their missing pay later. Critics say this is deeply unfair to employees who are already suffering from missed paychecks and rising financial stress, while supporters claim it’s about respecting Congress’s spending authority and preventing automatic costs during political deadlocks. Personally, I think this sends the wrong message to public servants who keep the country running. They didn’t cause the shutdown, yet they’re being forced to bear its consequences. Even if fiscal discipline matters, fairness and stability should come first. No one should have to worry about losing pay because of politics.

[exitseven]

He realizes that there are no companies that would lay off employees and continue to pay them. I have been laid off a few times and I never got paid and I never expected to get paid. I just went out and found a new job.

[Anonymous]

government office employees truly are useless, don't know how to survive on their own without the government

[BadApple69]

I say Congress and the senate shouldn’t get back pay. Fuck them.

[captain_voidwalker]

Fire them all I say save the tax payers some money

[dudeinohio]

They need paid