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750,000 face uncertain back pay

5m

The Trump administration warned on Tuesday in an OMB memo that about 750,000 furloughed U.S. federal workers may not receive back pay during the government shutdown.

by Robert B. Reich

43%
rbreich.bsky.social
Trump is threatening to withhold back pay for federal workers furloughed during the shutdown — which goes against a law he signed in 2019, by the way.

This should come as no surprise: Trump and his businesses have been accused of stiffing hundreds of their own workers out of pay over the years.
86 830 2.5K

Reposted by: Michael D. McDonald, Andrew Rudalevige, Joseph Schafer , and 7 more

80%
atrupar.com
Johnson: "It's true that in previous shutdowns, many or most furloughed employees have been paid for the time they were furloughed, but there is new legal analysis - I don't know the details, I just saw a headline - but there are some legal analysts saying that might not be appropriate or necessary"
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by Daniel W. Drezner — Reposted by: David Darmofal

63%
dandrezner.bsky.social
Always cool when the Trump administration explicitly signals it won’t follow the law. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/u...
White House Signals It May Try to Deny Back Pay to Furloughed Federal Workers
www.nytimes.com
10 37 130

Reposted by: Joe R. Feagin, Andrew Rudalevige, Scott L. Greer , and 2 more

56%
sbagen.bsky.social
Feel free to attribute the following to a former OMB General Counsel: The supposed "new legal analysis" is, to use a technical legal term, horseshit. What the law actually says is that when Congress enacts a law ending a lapse, furloughed employees get paid at the earliest date possible. Period.
atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14h
Johnson: "It's true that in previous shutdowns, many or most furloughed employees have been paid for the time they were furloughed, but there is new legal analysis - I don't know the details, I just saw a headline - but there are some legal analysts saying that might not be appropriate or necessary"
140 1.1K 3.4K

by Elizabeth Warren — Reposted by: Joe R. Feagin

22%
warren.senate.gov
After the shutdown during the 1st Trump admin, Congress passed a law to guarantee back pay for furloughed workers.

That bill was signed into law by Donald Trump.

Workers will be paid.

This chaos is a distraction from Trump's failure to secure a deal to lower health care costs.
28 240 930

Reposted by: Joe R. Feagin

19%
crockett.house.gov
Let me be clear: It’s ILLEGAL to deny federal workers back pay after a shutdown.

There’s a 2019 law that guarantees it, but Trump is once again trying to break the law.

You don’t get to punish people for doing their jobs just because you’re failing at yours.
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by Michael D. McDonald

52%
electproject.bsky.social
Trump: we don’t need to pay furloughed federal workers

Federal workers: we don’t have to work for no pay
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 5h
“.. flights are being delayed this evening at Nashville International Airport due to “staffing,” with average arrival delays of 126 minutes as of 5:30 p.m.”

@politico.com #shutdown
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
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by Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

26%
olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social
yo they hired Mamdani video guys. someone's doing some thinking somewhere
schumer.senate.gov
Chuck Schumer @schumer.senate.gov · 4h
The government is shut down because Trump and the Republicans are hellbent on taking health care away from you.

And they won’t even come to the table to talk to us about it.

This is not about politics. It's about people.

Let’s break it down:
40 140 970

Reposted by: Timothy D. McBride

2%
New York Times
Health-Care Politics Bolster Democrats in Shutdown Fight

Even President Trump has conceded that he and his party could face political pain from rising premiums, stiffening Democrats’ spines as they demand a subsidy extension.

Health-Care Politics Bolster Democrats in Shutdown Fight
Reposts 22 6h

by Michael D. McDonald

52%
electproject.bsky.social
Folks...you elected Republicans to break government and they broke it
kaine.senate.gov
Senator Tim Kaine @kaine.senate.gov · 6h
It’s day seven of the government shutdown. For an entire week now, Republicans have refused to reach a bipartisan agreement to fund our government and protect health care for American citizens. They’re failing their own constituents.
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by Elizabeth Warren

3%

by Afl-Cio

6%
aflcio.org
The Trump admin is STILL trying to use federal workers as political pawns, threatening now that they may not receive back pay.

This is illegal and cruel. Federal workers are entitled to back pay by law after a shutdown - a law Trump himself signed in 2019.
Trump Plans to Stiff Federal Workers Furloughed During Shutdown
The Trump administration wants to withhold backpay from thousands of federal employees.
newrepublic.com
4 46 100

by Craig Calhoun

67%

Reposted by: Timothy D. McBride

2%
New York Times
Mass Layoffs Trump Is Threatening in Shutdown Fight May Be Illegal

Unions have sued to block any firings, which budget experts say are not even needed to protect essential federal services.

Mass Layoffs Trump Is Threatening in Shutdown Fight May Be Illegal
Reposts 14 8h

Reposted by: Nathan P. Kalmoe, David R. Miller

14%
markzaidesq.bsky.social
If you didn't realize this earlier, this latest action by the Administration amply demonstrates it does not have the back of federal workers.

www.govexec.com/pay-benefits...
OMB deletes reference to law guaranteeing backpay to furloughed feds from shutdown guidance
An Office of Management and Budget FAQ document now states that only excepted employees forced to work without pay are guaranteed backpay at the conclusion of a lapse in appropriations.
www.govexec.com
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by Timothy D. McBride

7%
mcbridetd.bsky.social
WH Memo Says Furloughed Workers Not Entitled to Back Pay www.today.com/video/wh-mem...
WH Memo Says Furloughed Workers Not Entitled to Back Pay
With the government shutdown entering its second week, a new draft memo issued by the White House and confirmed by NBC News, says that some 750,000 federal workers that are currently furloughed are no...
www.today.com
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Reposted by: Timothy D. McBride

2%
New York Times
The Shutdown Dispute Over Health Care Subsidies, Explained

The government shutdown fight has spotlighted a debate between Republicans and Democrats about whether and how much the government should subsidize health care.

The Shutdown Dispute Over Health Care Subsidies, Explained
Reposts 7 10h

Reposted by: David R. Miller

4%
moreperfectunion.bsky.social
A new White House memo says that furloughed federal workers aren't entitled to back pay.

This is clearly against the law, which guarantees furloughed federal employees back pay for the duration of a government shutdown.
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Reposted by: Juan Cole

18%
estherc.bsky.social
OMB has deleted the reference on its website to the 2019 law that mandates back pay to all federal workers who were not paid during a government shutdown. This is like when babies play hide and seek but only cover their eyes because if they can’t see you, you can’t see them.
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by Joshua S. Weitz

2%
joshuasweitz.bsky.social
On top of everything else, this too should be non-negotiable; when the government does re-open, follow the law and pay furloughed federal workers what they are due.

🎁
wapo.st/47dbJEe
Furloughed workers not guaranteed back pay after shutdown, OMB claims
Federal workers may not be entitled to back pay after the government shutdown ends, the Trump administration’s budget office wrote in a new draft memo obtained by The Washington Post, ratcheting up te...
wapo.st
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